Role

:

Composer

Country

:

Netherlands

Birth

:

October 3, 1946 in Amersfoort, The Netherlands

Death

:

1996

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Concerto

 

 

Symphony

 

Tristan Keuris was a Dutch composer who was born on October 3, 1946, in Amsterdam. He was the son of a music teacher and grew up in a musical family. Keuris started playing the piano at a young age and later learned to play the clarinet and saxophone. He studied composition at the Utrecht Conservatory with Ton de Leeuw and graduated in 1968. Keuris's early works were influenced by the serialism of the 1950s and 1960s, but he later developed his own style, which was characterized by a combination of tonality and atonality. His music was often described as lyrical, expressive, and emotional, with a strong sense of melody and harmony. Keuris's breakthrough came in 1976 when his composition "Sinfonia" won the Gaudeamus International Composers Award. This led to commissions from various orchestras and ensembles, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, and the Amsterdam Sinfonietta. One of Keuris's most famous works is his "Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra," which was written in 1984 for the Dutch saxophonist Arno Bornkamp. The concerto is a virtuosic showcase for the soloist, with a lyrical and expressive slow movement and a lively and rhythmic finale. Another notable work by Keuris is his "Symphony in D," which was written in 1988 for the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. The symphony is in four movements and is characterized by its rich harmonies and expressive melodies. Keuris also wrote several chamber music works, including a string quartet, a piano trio, and a wind quintet. His "String Quartet No. 2" is a particularly notable work, with its complex rhythms and harmonies and its use of extended techniques such as col legno and sul ponticello. Keuris's music was well-received both in the Netherlands and internationally, and he was regarded as one of the leading Dutch composers of his generation. He was awarded the Johan Wagenaar Prize in 1984 and the Matthijs Vermeulen Prize in 1994. Tragically, Keuris's career was cut short when he died of cancer on December 15, 1996, at the age of 50. His legacy lives on through his music, which continues to be performed and recorded by musicians around the world.

More....