Ralph van Raat

The young Dutch pianist Ralph van Raat (1978) has won international awards for his recordings and concerts of contemporary music. He has recorded, among other things, the complete piano oeuvre of John Adams, Louis Andriessen and Magnus Lindberg on CD. With his debut recital programme at deSingel he adds a fine climax to this series. He has chosen resolutely to perform two standard works from the minimal music repertoire. 'Phrygian Gates' is the composition in which John Adams definitely found his own voice. With Van Raat at the piano, it becomes a sort of one-man orchestra with broad romantic gestures, but at the same time he knows how to maintain the minimalist style of the music. 'Piano Phase' by Steve Reich is a characteristic example of minimalism in its strictest form. This is the first time that Reich made use of tape loops for shifting patterns in a piece intended for live performance. For Joep Franssens, who was to become the Dutch figurehead of the new spirituality, Reich was his great inspiration when he wrote his composing debut 'Between the Beats'. As an hors d'oeuvre for this concert we are offering you a piano sonata by the Estonian Erkki-Sven Tüür and 'China Gates' by John Adams. A menu that is sure to convince many fans.