Performers
Opening the score of Hans Kox cello and piano sonata was an extremely exciting feeling of something unknown and fascinating waiting for us. And to say the least the process of learning the piece and getting deep inside the score was an absolutely unforgettable experience. The music of Mr. Kox contains an incredible variety of emiotional expressions, characters and passion which transfer a performer to composer's inner world. It's rich and endless. And in order to enable a listener to understand what the music says, we as musicians, have a very important task to make sure we are spotless and precise with the music text. Hans Kox's writing is detailed and clear. It is also very technically demanding and requires a performer to invest much time in the preparation process, which will ultimately lead to a very rewarding performance experience. The highly technical aspect of the piece serves only to express the musical intensions of the composer. We were truly happy to be able to learn this great piece and felt privileged to be in touch with such an amazing composition. |
De nadere kennismaking met de bijzondere en veelzijdige muziek van Hans Kox was voor mij een van de mooiste ervaringen in mijn zes werkzame jaren als artistiek leider van het Orlando Festival. De 15 composities die in 2019 tijdens het Orlando Festival gespeeld werden, zorgden voor evenzovele meeslepende en boeiende gebeurtenissen. Wat hebben wij, publiek en musici, genoten van de prachtige muziek! Voor mij markeerde de (her)waardering die festivalbreed ontstond voor deze nog zo onderschatte en vaak veronachtzaamde muziek een hoogtepunt. |
For me, the closer acquaintance with Hans Kox‘ remarkable and versatile music was one of the most beautiful experiences in my six active years as artistic leader of the Orlando Festival. The 15 compositions which were performed in the 2019 festival, created as many compelling and fascinating happenings. How did we, audience and musicians, enjoy the beautiful music! The renewed appreciation which the festival created for this still underestimated and often neglected music, signified a milestone for me. |
Als ich zum ersten Mal ein Werk von Hans Kox (‘The stranger‘ für Altsaxophon und Stimme) ausführte, fühlte ich während des Konzertes eine unglaubliche Ruhe, die mir eine Expressivität und Energie verlieh‘, die ich davor noch nie während dem Saxophonspielen gespürt hatte. Für mich war dies das Gefühl von Freiheit, sich komplett in der Klangfarbe der Musik befinden zu können. |
When I first became acquainted with the music of Hans Kox, the composer’s musical language immediately spoke to me. Imbued with an expressionistic richness, his works for saxophone are some of the most gripping, demanding, and emotional pieces of the repertoire. With a style uniquely his own, Hans Kox has forever pushed the boundaries of what is possible on our instrument, and for that, we are all grateful. |
Hans Kox' Zesde symfonie is een zeer intens werk. Intens omdat het voelt als een zeer persoonlijk werk, alsof je in de ziel van de componist kunt kijken. De muziek is droevig, liefdevol, woedend, afstandelijk, geheimzinnig met hier en daar momenten van hoop. Uit alles spreekt Hans Kox' enorme liefde voor muziek. Het was een zoektocht en een feest om deze muziek en al haar emoties op te nemen met het Radio Filharmonisch Orkest en het Groot Omroepkoor. Ik heb er enorm van genoten. |
Hans Kox 'Sixth Symphony is a very intense work. Intense because it feels like a very personal work, as if you can look into the soul of the composer. The music is sad, loving, furious, distant, mysterious with moments here and there of hope. Everything expresses Hans Kox's enormous love for music. It was a quest and a joy to record this music and all its emotions with the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Groot Omroepkoor. I really enjoyed it. " |
Tijdens het spelen hadden wij beiden het gevoel dat dit sextet echt een eigen en unieke compositie is wat niet in een vakje gezet kan worden. |
During the performance we both got the feeling that this sextet is a truly unique composition which cannot be put in a box. Often lyrical, then capricious again with beautiful dissonances and suddenly an intense and brilliantly fast movement, concluding in beautiful tuttis. A very personal sound world in which we, as performers, could happily dwell. We would say: ‘Sturm und Drang’ and great to play…. something truly special and so rewarding for the listener! |
“I had the great privilege of becoming acquainted with the musical language of Mr. Kox through the pieces 32 Variations on a Theme of Ludwig van Beethoven for solo piano, and Cyclophonie XIII for piano duo. Through these two astonishing works, I experienced a veritable kaleidoscope of colours, textures, characters, and gestures, all created with a masterful understanding of the sonorities of the piano. Mr. Kox’s compositions bespeak a depth of artistry and a wellspring of imagination. |
Over the course of 10 days in August of 2019 I had the privilege of rehearsing and performing no fewer than four works of Dutch composer Hans Kox. The rigorous compositional approach, the satisfying combination of the lyrical and the incisive, the sheer variety of concept and style contributed to a series of joyful musical experiences amongst the colleagues of the Orlando Festival. Although I found much to enjoy in the various works of Kox, I was left most touched by the Lied ohne Worte for oboe and cello, a searching, yearning work perfect in proportion and keenly conceived - a pleasure to study, rehearse and perform. If the mark of a work’s excellence is not in its premiere, but rather in the repetition of its performance, then I look forward to offering this (and other!) powerful music of Hans Kox to audiences in the future. |
The music of Hans Kox is very dear to me. As a young performer who regards expressivity and emotion above any other aspect in music, his music fits perfectly my style and desires. There is not one gesture lacking intention, there is not one phrase without meaning, there is never a moment of empty pursuit... It reminds me in many ways of the music of the turn between the 19th and 20th centuries (beautiful miniatures by artists such as Gabriel Fauré, Frank Bridge, Ottorino Respighi...) and its technical challenges evoke undoubtedly the ones of Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt: always serving an expressive purpose. |
Over de zes preludes: About the ‘Six Preludes’: |
De muziek van Hans Kox heeft ons altijd enorm geraakt. Het is muziek die je niet onbewogen laat, het is intense muziek. Muziek die je uitsluitend met volledige overgave kunt spelen. Lange melodische lijnen en dwingende, ostinate ritmes. Het is niet voor niets dat Hans Kox in zijn werksessies bij hem thuis met ons veelvuldig het woord “dóórgaan” riep. Volgens mij bedoelde hij: niet inzakken, trek de lijn door, kijk vooruit! Muziek waar je je in vast moet bijten én muziek die zich in jou vastbijt! |
The music of Hans Kox has always touched us very strongly. Its intensity never leaves you cold. It is music which you can only play with total involvement. Long melodic lines and stringent, ostinato rhythm. It is not without reason that, in the rehearsel sessions with Hans Kox, he often called for ‘continuity’. I think he meant: don’t let it sag, spin the line, look forward! It is music to get your teeth into, and it’s music that gets its teeth into yourself! |
I have had an honor and joy to work with and sing extraordinary music of wonderful Dutch composer Hans Kox. His 'Lalage's monologue' an one act solo opera was written for my voice. This short opera piece is very precise and full of different melodies, rithms and moods. 'Monoloque' demands from the singer the full range of the colors, dinamics, large range and power of the voice. |
"HIS WORKS FOR SAXOPHONE ARE SOME OF THE MOST GRIPPING, DEMANDING AND EMOTIONAL PIECES OF THE REPERTOIRE"