Muziek
Reprise Carillon Call
13 November 2024
5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Reprise of a composition by music legend Meredith Monk for the Oude Kerk carillon.
Carillon Call, 2024
Composed by: Meredith Monk
With kind assistance of: Allison Sniffin
Carillonist: Boudewijn Zwart
Duration: 4,5 minutes
On Wednesday, November 13 at 17:00, Carillon Call, a composition for carillon by music legend Meredith Monk, will be played. Amsterdam's carillonneur, Boudewijn Zwart, will perform this special reprise to mark the book launch of Meredith Monk. Calling. The piece, approximately 4.5 minutes long, is deeply rooted in Monk's vocal compositions, episodic in nature, and unfolds through subtle musical variations and meditative rhythmic phrases into playful, striking dissonances. Carillon Call had its world premiere on April 12, as part of the closing weekend of the exhibition Calling: Meredith Monk. The bells of the carillon in the Oudekerk Tower can be heard from a great distance, but the best listening spot is on the Oudekerksplein.
Foto: Maarten Nauw
Meredith Monk about her composition: “I began working on a first draft in 1995 for the carillon in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Then, the player left so it never happened. I transformed some of the material into a long piano piece, "Steppe Music", in 1997 but always wanted to hear what it was intended for, bells! There are bell-like passages in a lot of my music but this will be the first time that bells will really play it. I am thrilled!”
Icon of contemporary music
Meredith Monk (1942, NY) is a composer, singer, director, and choreographer. With her playful compositions, experimental films, intimate installations, and large-scale music theaters, Monk has been pushing the boundaries of vocal music, performance, and visual art for half a century. She is regarded as one of the most unique and influential artists of our time and is the pioneer of what is now called "extended vocal technique" and "interdisciplinary performance." Monk is praised as 'a wizard of the voice' and 'one of America's coolest composers'.
City carillonist
Boudewijn Zwart has been the city carillonist of Amsterdam for over forty years, appointed by the city to play the carillons in the church towers. These are historical musical instruments, the largest in the world. They typically consist of about 10,000 kilograms of bronze and can be played via the keyboard. Every Tuesday, Zwart plays the carillons of the Westerkerk, Zuiderkerk, and Oudekerkstoren. Zwart has several compositions to his name and regularly performs carillon concerts in the Netherlands and Europe. He is the president of the international carillonneur association Eurocarillon.
The Oude Kerk carillon consists of 47 bells. The fourteen heaviest bells were cast by François Hemony in 1658. The remaining bells were cast by Eijsbouts Bell Foundry in the years 1964/5. The carillon was completely restored in 2021.
