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from Inquietus for wind tentet by Matthijs Kruik
Concert invitation (1 page pdf)
Bon Journal
Concert band from University of Southampton visits Utrecht
Southampton University (UK) to visit Utrecht for debut concert Wednesday 23 March 2005
The 48 member-concert band of Southampton University will premiere “Inquietus,” the new piece for wind tentet written by Matthijs Kruik, a second year student of composition at HKU Faculty of Music. “Inquietus” is music about music itself, leaving the interpretation up to the listener.
Southampton, located on the south coast of England, is home to one of the top ten universities in England. The university has a very active academic music department and many student run ensembles, including a symphony orchestra, chamber orchestra and concert band.
Some of the 48 members of Southampton University Concert Band study music but the majority study a wide range of other subjects with music as their free time activity. For this reason, making music with the concert band is about enjoyment and participation, whilst achieving the highest possible standard of performance.
Conductor Justin Hayward, a French horn player, began conducting the concert band in 2001. Under Justin, the band is continually expanding its musical horizons performing works by a variety of composers. Last season’s programme included Gordon Jacob’s Symphony “AD78,” John Williams’ theme to “Harry Potter” and the premier of James Verduyn’s “Macbeth.”
Every year the concert band tour abroad, and this year they are spending a week in Belgium and the Netherlands. In 2004 they toured to Paris.
The evening concert will take place at 1930 hrs on Wednesday 23rd March 2005 at Utrecht Conservatorium (Hogeschool voor de Kunst Faculty of Music), 27 Mariaplaats, 3511 LL Utrecht. For more information please ring 030 231 4044 or visit www.hku.nl
The J.M. Fentener van Vlissingenzaal of Utrecht Conservatorium at 27 Mariaplaats is more than 150 years old, by far the oldest concert hall in the Netherlands. Famous composers such as Johannes Brahms, Robert and Clara Schumann, among others have performed there. Utrecht Conservatorium is the oldest of the eleven conservatories in the Netherlands, and is part of the Hogeschool voor de Kunst Utrecht (HKU) Faculty of Music. The music library on the second floor of 28 Mariaplaats houses some 10,000 music scores with 10,000 more in storage.
As the fourth largest city in the Netherlands, much older than Amsterdam, Utrecht is known for its music festivals and home to the largest university in the country. The two adjacent buildings of the Utrechts Conservatorium at 27 and 28 Mariaplaats are located in the Museum Quarter, a mere 5 minute walk from the Central train station and in the heart of this ancient city of cobbled stones, restaurants, pubs, antique shops, and the famous 800 year old Dome Tower.
About Matthijs Kruik, composer of Inquietus
Born in Sassenheim, near Lisse (home of the famous Keukenhof), Matthijs Kruik began his musical education at the age of 8 when he joined the local drum band and also learned to play the trumpet.
At the age of 15, Matthijs arranged his first piece for band, a challenge that led him to choose composing as a career. Since then he has composed and arranged many pieces for band.
After receiving his VWO diploma, Matthijs went to the Royal Conservatory of the Hague to study composition. During his first year of study, Matthijs changed his instrument to the French horn, which he continues to play today. Finding the Royal Conservatory composition school too modern and avant-garde, Matthijs left at the end of his first year to study at Utrecht Conservatorium under Henk Alkema.
At the moment, Matthijs conducts three orchestras, whose music he arranges and composes. Someday he hopes to fulfill his dream of writing film music.
About Inquietus - for wind tentet
Twenty-year old composer, Matthijs Kruik wrote Inquietus to familiarise himself with the woodwind section and to prepare for a large piece for concert band which he wrote after Inquietus. The larger piece is about the life of the cruel Roman emperor Nero.
Unlike the second piece which has a clear story, Inquietus does not have a storyline as such. Inquietus is music about music, leaving the interpretation up to the listener.
Inquietus consists of three movements. The first, molto lento/presto, is built on one theme which you can hear at the very beginning. The bassoons sprint away, forming the skeleton of this movement. The main theme is repeated in various styles and tempos, but its development is constantly interrupted by some crazy and short melodies. Fortunately, the main theme is much stronger and 'defeats' these interruptions. At the end you hear a beautiful E-major chord.
The second movement is an adagio made of one long melody. You can taste a little bit of sadness and mysticism. Towards the end, it seems that everything is going to be all right, but that is only hope.
This hope is rewarded in the third and last movement where the listener witnesses a long journey to the top. In the beginning, you hear one motif which gets longer and longer. Finally you hear the complete melody twice.
The title 'Inquietus' (pronounced in-kwii-ii-tus) is Latin for 'inquiet' or restless, and when have heard the piece you will understand this title...(or maybe not!)
Tentative programme
The Opening - Verduyn (premiere, written for Southampton University Concert
Band)
Poet and Peasant - Suppe
The Big Country - Moross
633 Squadron - Goodwin (assistant conductor)
'A Symphonic Study' - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Inquietus
Crown Imperial - Walton
Pavane in Blue - Huggens
Der Kinderregiment - Fucik
Orient and Occident - Saint-Saens
Chicago - Kander
About Justin Hayward, conductor
Justin's musical education began with Piano lessons at the age of 7. Aspiring to play the violin, he took up the French horn at 9 as the school's music teacher thought he "looked like a horn player"! He was a member of several orchestras and other ensembles in his native Suffolk, playing with the Suffolk Youth Orchestra for a total of seven seasons, two as principal horn.
In 1997 Justin entered the University of Nottingham to read Physics where he became actively involved with the University's musical life, accumulating performances with many varied ensembles. Justin's first conducting experience came in 1999 when he was Musical Director for the Nottingham University Gilbert & Sullivan Society's well-received modernised production of "The Pirates of Penzance". He was later appointed as Conductor of the Nottingham University Sinfonia for the 2000-2001 season; directing a number of performances in Nottingham and Barcelona.
Moving to Southampton in 2001 to pursue a PhD in Optoelectronics, Justin took up the post of Assistant Conductor for the Southampton University Concert band, later succeeding Peter White as Principal Conductor in September 2002. Justin is keen to continually broaden the band's musical horizons: in the last season performing works as diverse as Gordon Jacob's Symphony "AD78", John Williams' theme to "Harry Potter" and in March the premier of James Verduyn's "Macbeth."
23 March 2005 Wednesday
Related links:
Composers concert, 22 March 2005
HKU Faculty of Music (a.k.a. Utrechts Conservatorium)
University of Southampton
About Utrecht
Utrecht tourist information
analyticalQ Dutch links
Useful online map for the Netherlands
Dutch train route, schedule, and fares
Programme notes in English - interesting concerts
Short stay in Utrecht
Matthijs Kruik, composer
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