Search - Saori Oya - piano;Benjamin van Esser - piano :: Frank Nuyts: Sonata and Prelude

Nuyts composes in that dangerous zone called cross-over with an authenticity that will convince even the most sceptic or suspicious listener. Rastapasta is no less than 'the carcass of a rock song'. There is no audible accent on the first beat, allowing the reggae offbeats to be heard as such; nor that one thing that makes a song a song: a clear melody. It contains in itself the potential for almost infinite aesthetic interpretations. The 2nd and 3rd Sonatas are conceived as parts one and two of a 'mega-sonata' together with the 4th Sonata as part three (not recorded here). They are challenging and controversial. Sonatas in their own right, but with a multiplicity of explicit and intuitive references to elements from our own musical context. There is no confrontation of tonalities, but an interplay of allusions and associations to different musical fields ranging from Chopin's harmonic world to heavy metal. The listener is swept along in a humiliatingly poetic, raw and lighthearted narration. Frank Nuyts studied percussion and composition. In 1989, together with Iris De Blaere, he set up the 7-member cross-over band Hardscore. Since that time he has produced an extensive oeuvre, characterised by a postmodernist idiom. His works have won such prizes as the 'Vijfjaarlijkse Muziekprijs' (Ghent) and the 'Prix de musique contemporaine Québec'. Benjamin Van Esser (1979) studied piano with Jan Michiels in Brussels. In 2004 he pursued advanced studies in the piano music of Messiaen with Håkon Austbø at the Amsterdam Conservatory. He also took part in masterclasses with G. Kurtág and K.S. Lee. He specialises primarily in the performance of contemporary compositions. After earning her B.A. in the department of soloist training at the Toho Gakuen College of Music, Saori Oya (1973) won 3rd prize at the Tama Fresh National Competition. She earned the Higher Diploma in Piano with Boyan Vodenitcharov in Brussels. She also took masterclasses with Jos Van Immerseel and Murray Perahia.