AB I-08

Description

BERNHARD VAN DEN SIGTENHORST MEYER – PIANO MUSIC

Albert Brussee – piano

This CD, released by the English label Toccata Classics, contains nineteen keyboard pieces from the first creative period (1915-1923) of the Hague composer Bernhard van den Sigtenhorst Meyer (1888-1953). This music provides a rare example of modal-impressionist keyboard music from the Netherlands from the time of the masters of the Hague School of Painters and poets/ writers such as Jacques Perk, Gorter and Couperus. To conclude, Of Flowers and Birds – To the Memory of Bernhard van den Sigtenhorst Meyer was recorded – a personal composition written in 2016, in which theme’s and motives from four of the recorded pieces are interwoven.

TRACKS
From: Van de Bloemen (‘Of the Flowers’), Opus 1 (1915)
1. Roses
2. Cornfield in the Sun.

From: Het oude China (‘Ancient China’), Opus 2 (1916)
3. The Censer *

From: Van de Vogels (‘Of the Birds’), Opus 4 (1917)
4. The Swan
5. A Flock of Tits in the Woods

From: Zes Gezichten op den Fuji (‘Six Views of Fuji’), Opus 9 (1919)
6. The Origin of Fuji
7. Fuji in the Rain

From: Saint-Quentin, Opus 12 (1920)
8. Ruins *

From: De Maas (‘The Meuse’), Opus 11 (1920)
9.  The River *
10. The Mouth of the Meuse *

Oude Kasteelen (‘Old Castles’), Opus 14 (1920)
11. Brederode *
12. Twickel *
13. The Brittenburg *

From: Acht Preludes (‘Eight Preludes’), Opus 17 (1922)
14. The Cat
15. The Mouse
16. The Marabou
17. The Hummingbird

From: Capri, Opus 19 (1922)
18. I Faraglioni *
19. Anacapri *

ALBERT BRUSSEE:
20. Van Bloemen en Vogels (‘Of Flowers and Birds – in memory of Bernhard van den Sigtenhorst Meyer’) (2016) *

* First Recording

REVIEWS
Albert Brussee studied piano with Jaap Spaanderman, Danielle Dechenne and Ton Hartsuiker and obtained the Prix d’Excellence in 1974. In addition to performing and teaching, he has been involved in composing, publishing and editing of, among other things, Franz Liszt’s Harmonies poétiques et religieuses. He previously released a CD presenting a number of piano works by Sigtenhorst Meyer, but has re-recorded some of these for this release. He chose to make a selection from the eight collections that Sigtenhorst published between 1915 and 1923. For Albert Brussee this is nothing less than a ‘labour of love’. The entire production is realized thanks to his efforts, and these include not only his playing, but also the carefully written, extensive CD booklet. Daan van Aalst was responsible for a recording that leaves nothing to be desired.
For an international audience, this is undoubtedly an eye-opener, shining a light on Dutch piano music, which will certainly appeal to a younger audience at this time of renewed interest in Satie. Anyone who compares the interpretation of Brussee with that of Kuyken cannot escape Brussee’s somewhat thoughtful approach, and it is a pity that we do not get to hear a complete version of the Zes gezichten op den Fuji [‘Six Views of Fuji’]. But there is a lot of beauty in return, including a first recording of Oude Kasteelen [‘Old Castles’], Opus 14, one of Sigtenhorst Meyer’s best works. It is time for this tone master to get more attention than just his release of Sweelinck’s Chromatic Fantasy!
Siebe Riedstra in www.opusklassiek.nl/cd-rec reviews.

Albert Brussee (Apeldoorn, 1946), known as a conscientious pianist and music publicist, stands up for the evocative, poetic music of the Hague composer Bernhard van den Sigtenhorst Meyer, which deserves a better fate than being forgotten. His album contains nineteen piano works from the period 1915-1923 with captivating titles such as Het wierookvat [‘The Censer’], ‘n Troepje meezen in ‘t bosch [‘A Flock of Tits in the Woods’] and De Fuji in den regen [‘Fuji in the Rain’]. Brussee plays all of them with care, love and imagination, so that while listening you are transported to an ideal world of dreams, scents and colours, plants and animals, far away from environmental pollution and pandemics. Moreover, Brussee personally wrote the CD booklet, in which much interesting information about Sigtenhorst Meyer can be read. All in all an ideal album for ‘travelling’ at home during the lockdown.
Wenneke Savenije in De Nieuwe Muze – February/March 2021.

I have listened several times to your performances. I am still amazed that Bernhard van den Sigtenhorst Meyer is so little known among musicians. Of course, his debt to the French Impressionists, especially Debussy, stands out, but there is an individual quality to his miniatures that attracts me and that you point out in your excellent notes and demonstrate in your superb performances: something that must owe to his being Dutch. Thank you for taking the time to learn your countryman’s music and, even more, for sharing it with your longtime admirer and friend.
Richard  Contiguglia, 83-year-old pianist from New York, in the past forming with his brother John a well-known piano duo, in a personal letter.

Some of these short piece suites have been previously recorded. The Zes gezichten op den Fuji even several times. The added value of this recording lies in the nine pieces that are presented on this CD for the first time. Brussee, for example, plays the short work Het wierookvat [‘The Censer’] from the suite Het oude China [‘Ancient China’], a fascinating, dark piece in the pentatonic scale that works towards an enormous climax. Van den Sigtenhorst’s predilection for ruins can be heard in the suites Saint-Quentin and Oude Kasteeelen [‘Old Castles’]. In De Maas [‘The Meuse’], Van den Sigtenhorst let it foam and fizz. In Capri, on the other hand, an introvert calm prevails.
Brussee plays all these works with great attention. His musical speech is always accurate and easy to follow, although he could, in my opinion, sometimes be a bit more wayward and allow more expression. For example, the Moorish character of Anacapri could be more clearly accentuated and The origin of the Fuji could be performed with greater vehemence. However, these are just marginal comments to a valuable production.
The final piece, Of Flowers and Birds – In memory of Bernhard van den Sigtenhorst Meyer, deserves special attention. Brussee wrote it himself, inspired by the composer’s works. In this seven-minute composition, in which we hear themes from some of the recorded works, Brussee lets himself be whipped up to exquisite piano playing. The sheet music has been published. A great gain to the piano literature.
Sandra Kooke in Piano Bulletin 2021/1.

“(…) To be fair, I had never heard of Bernhard van den Sigtenhorst Meyer, but this introduction to his compositions is most pleasant. (…) Brussee plays the nineteen works from the period 1915 to 1923 with verve. The Steinway sounds clear, the musical intelligence, skill and involvement of Brussee splash from the keys. His sensitivity to the exciting atmosphere of these works with titles such as Six Views of Fuji, The Meuse and Old Castles, is almost tangible. Beautifully the composer paints the River Meuse, flowing buoyantly in all weather conditions, the bygone, sometimes threatening pictures of old castles, the destructive power of the war in Saint-Quentin in the north of France. Really, Van den Sigtenhorst is an artist in the best sense of the word. The CD concludes with Of Flowers and Birds,  written by Brussee himself, commissioned by the Hague Art Society: a worthy tribute to a composer who has unjustly remained under the radar.”
Marjolijn Sengers in Luister – March 2021. RATING: 8

 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
© 2020 Toccata Classics (TOCC0575).
ISBN: 5060113445759.

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This CD contains nineteen keyboard pieces from the first creative period (1915-1923) of the Hague composer Bernhard van den Sigtenhorst Meyer (1888-1953). This music provides a rare example of modal-impressionist keyboard music from the Netherlands from the time of the masters of the Hague School of Painters. To conclude, Van Bloemen en Vogels was recorded – a personal composition written in memory of Bernhard van den Sigtenhorst Meyer.

 

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