Piet-Jan van Rossum

Ensemble HAY! - Alpha es et O

• Vrije Geluiden
• Ensembles

Ensemble HAY! performs 'Alpha es et O’ a composition by Dutch composer Piet-Jan van Rossum at the FLuXus Verkadefabriek in Zaandam. Doriene Marselje - harp Jennifer van der Hart - soprano Naomi Sato - sho Composer Piet-Jan van Rossum (1966) above all directs his attention to composing and writing. In his own words:I look upon myself as a storyteller, as a member of an ancient tribe of shy, wild people who, through stories, sometimes succeed to create another way of experiencing time. My work comprises life as i live it: a piece of wood full of splinters, chunks of beauty and the fracturing or lack of it: lots of waiting, silences. This explains my fascination with scratched movies, lazy eyes, a broken voice, old gramophone-records, growing old. It’s all about looking for a novel beauty in the corrosion of an old (sound)world. 'Alpha es et O' is the last line of the Christmas carol 'in dulce jubilo'. It was the first work that composer Van Rossum wrote for his ensemble HAY! In the end, little can be heard of Christmas in the work. This composition is based on the traditional winter music from the Gagaku tradition. 'Alpha es et O' was intended for Christmas night in the stable. But because of corona everyone was at home and it never came to a performance. During the corona pandemic, many Dutch composers wrote new compositions, but due to all the restrictions they could not be performed. In collaboration with Dutch Composers Now we have invited a number of composers and musicians to play these new pieces during our Vrije Geluiden Sessions. Crew: Editors: Sakti Khedoe, Melchior Huurdeman, Aad van Nieuwkerk Camera & lighting: Nick de Mooij, Wim Adam, Ramon de Boer Sound: Marc Broer Producer: Vivian Vrolijk Director/Editing Reinier Bruijne