Simeon ten Holt

Editor's Choice

Born in Bergen, North Holland, Simeon ten Holt initially studied piano and theory with the pioneering Dutch modernist composer Jakob van Domsalaer, before enrolling at Paris's École normale supérieure to study under Arthur Honegger and Darius Milhaud. During the 1970s, he began to fall under the spell of minimalism in a series of works for multiple pianos, the earliest and best-known of which is his Canto Ostinato. Ten Holt does not stipulate the number of instruments or duration; instead it is left to the performers to decide for themselves on matters of scale, repetition, harmony, texture, dynamics and phrasing. The present 2008 rendering by the husband-and-wife partnership of Jeroen and Sandra van Veen certainly succeeds in riveting the listener in its hypnotic concentration and ear-pricking impact.

Done