Under the title Conzonanze Stravaganti, the young and talented organist Laurens de Man will give a remarkable organ recital. For his first encounter as an organist with the 31-tone organ, he has selected works from various stylistic periods, featuring composers who, as he himself put it, “explored the sharper edges of meantone tuning.” A fine challenge for a musician who, despite his youth, is already highly experienced. Laurens de Man (’s-Hertogenbosch, 1993) is active as an organist, pianist and harpsichordist. He studied piano and organ at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with David Kuyken, Jacques van Oortmerssen, Pieter van Dijk and Matthias Havinga, and also took harpsichord as a subsidiary subject with Johan Hofmann. In 2016 he graduated cum laude with a master’s degree in organ, and a year later obtained his master’s degree in piano with distinction. In 2017 he continued his studies at the Universität der Künste in Berlin with Leo van Doeselaar.
He has won several major music prizes, including the first prize, audience prize and Jan Welmers Prize at the International Martini Organ Competition in Groningen in 2017, and the Sweelinck-Müller Prize in 2018. The oeuvre of J.S. Bach plays a special role in his musical activities. He has performed at the Bach Festival Dordrecht, played Bach on the television programme De Wereld Draait Door, and appeared on Podium Witteman on NTR. Since January 2012, Laurens de Man has been principal organist of the Janskerk in Utrecht and, since 2014, assistant organist of the Oude Kerk congregation in Amsterdam. Despite these responsibilities, he still finds time to perform as a soloist and chamber musician, as he will do during this morning concert.
The programme includes some of the earliest keyboard music from the Robertsbridge Codex, a special arrangement of a medieval estampie by Hans Koolmees, compositions by Giovanni de Macque — the “Italian” composer from the Low Countries who was influenced by Carlo Gesualdo — works by the famous composers Michelangelo Rossi and Girolamo Frescobaldi, as well as compositions by the Dutch composer Tera de Marez Oyens, performed in meantone tuning. In the works by the latter two composers, Laurens de Man will be joined by cellist Irene Kok. Also central to the programme are two compositions from the repertoire of the 31-tone organ, written by the renowned Dutch composer Hans Kox, who sadly passed away in February 2019.
With this tribute among other works, Laurens de Man takes the audience on a musical journey, revealing the extraordinary possibilities of the Fokker organ in a programme that spans from the earliest organ music to that of the twentieth century.