On the occasion of composer Hans Kox’s eightieth birthday on 19 May 2010, the Huygens-Fokker Foundation, in collaboration with the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, is presenting a unique concert on 30 May dedicated to the entirety of Kox’s 31-tone oeuvre. This body of work arose from the special contact Hans Kox maintained with Professor Adriaan Fokker between the 1950s and 1970s. His string quartet, his piece for violin duo and piano, and his other microtonal compositions will be performed. The programme includes, among others, his solo violin piece and the dreamy Vues des Anges for violin and baritone, sung by Tiemo Wang. Additionally, organist Ere Lievonen will perform works for the Fokker organ, such as the Larghetto, 3 Epigrams for 31-tone organ, and Passacaglia and Chorale. The regular organist of the Fokker organ will be joined for this concert by a new generation of dedicated microtonal performers on violin, viola, and cello.
Hans Kox 80 years
Programme
Hans Kox (1930):
Larghetto voor 31-toonsorgel
Drie stukken voor viool solo in 31-toonssysteem (1958)
Capriccio voor 2 violen en piano (1974)
3 epigrammen voor 31-toonsorgel
Serenade voor 2 violen in 31-toonssysteem (1968)
Passacaglia en koraal voor 31-toonsorgel (1960)
Vues des Anges voor bariton en viool in 31-toonssysteem (1959)
4 stukken voor strijkkwartet in tricesimoprimale stemming (1961)
Hans Kox (Arnhem, 19 May 1930 – Haarlem, 25 February 2019) studied piano in Amsterdam with Jaap Spaanderman from 1948 to 1951 and composition with Henk Badings from 1951 to 1955. His first composition was a string trio written in 1953. From 1957 to 1984 he served as director of a music school, composition teacher at the Utrecht Conservatory, and advisor to various orchestras. Between 1957 and 1968, Hans Kox composed several works in 31-tone tuning for various instrumental (and vocal) ensembles. His Vues des Anges (1959, violin and baritone, text after Rilke), Four Pieces (1961, string quartet), and his Serenade (1968, two violins) have already been performed one or more times during concerts organised by the Huygens-Fokker Foundation. Kox’s compositions have been awarded multiple prizes.
Read the three-way conversation about Kox’s string quartet, featuring Adriaan Fokker, Hans Kox, and Cor de Groot (in Dutch).
Support
This concert is made possible with support from: the Dutch Performing Arts Fund+, the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, the SNS REAAL Fund, and the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ.
Fokker organ concert
Sunday 30 May 2010, 11:00 a.m.
Admission fee €13.00 (€10.50 reduced price)
Small Hall, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ
Piet Heinkade 1, 1019 BR Amsterdam
Performers
Tiemo Wang, baritone / Joseph Puglia, violin / Clara Kim, violin / Hannah Shaw, viola / Örs Köszeghy, cello / Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ & piano