Release Date: January 13, 2017
Catalog #: NV6070
Format: Digital & Physical
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Flute
Piano

Lines to Infinity

Hans Bakker composer
Peter Greve composer

PARMA Recordings artists Peter Greve and Hans Bakker have come together to give us LINES TO INFINITY, a stunning album that revolves around emotive and dramatic scores for primarily piano and flute. The two composers hail from the Netherlands and share a knack for creating thoughtful contemporary chamber works that appeal to the listener’s imagination.

Peter Greve first contributes Sonata for flute and piano, a modal piece that was written in 2005 but has roots in the 1950s, when Greve observed Turkish folk music on a trip through the country. The first and third movements are tonal in their makeup, while the middle section uses an atonal idiom. The third and more modal movement incorporates elements of the Turkish folk music that Greve observed so long ago. It also utilizes asymmetric measure types, with both 10/8 and 13/8 making an appearance. The piano primarily serves as the rhythmic guide of this track, while the flute takes the lead.

Greve’s second composition, Dialogues for narrator, flute, cello, and piano, centers around the idea of human communication, specifically between lovers in a relationship. The two lovers are represented by flute & cello collectively, while the piano represents the various friends & family who are amidst the peripheral of the lovers’ relationship. The piece can be broken into four movements: Discussion, Dispute, Reflection, and Celebration. The flow and tone of the music follows these parameters; the mood starts light until the conversation slowly descends into chaos, moves to contemplation and finally confirmation of the relationship. In the third movement, a poem by the Argentine poet Jorge Bucay is interjected among the music.

Hans Bakker contributes three works to this album. Leys for flute solo draws upon the phenomenon of ley lines for its hymn-like cascading melody. Listeners might remember the melody from Brenne for violin and piano or Leys III for flute, violin, and guitar from Navona Records’ PINNACLE compilation album. Easy Piece for violoncello and piano is a straightforward but efficient duo piece that represents peace, solitude, and hope. Its effectiveness as a work is in its simplicity; it would not be out of place as the main motif in a romantic film.

The centerpiece of Bakker’s contributions is the piece Trio for flute, oboe, and clarinet, a sprawling 11-minute opus split into three movements. In Part I, the instruments each take turns playing 16th note variations, sometimes intersecting playfully within the rhythm. The piece is able to navigate multiple accidentals while still sounding like it’s revolving around one key. Part II features the flute beginning this piece followed then by the oboe taking over the melody, as if in direct response. The theme, though, seems to be the off-beat quarter notes. The three instruments come back together just once in rhythm before the flute takes over again with a more aggressive 16th note melody, which builds in intensity and leads us back to the introductory passage. The coda introduces a new rhythm, the triplet, which makes a few brief appearances before part II ends abruptly. Part III is finally the clarinet’s time to shine, evoking a frolicking and playful finale.

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Artist Information

Hans Bakker

Composer

After he finished his studies piano, church organ, and choral conducting at the Dutch Institute for Church Music in Utrecht, Hans Bakker (b. 1945) worked as a teacher at two music schools in the Netherlands. He also conducted two choirs and was active in the improvisational music scene. His career in music was followed by the study of Sanskrit. After obtaining his master's degree at the University of Amsterdam, he returned to music, becoming completely occupied by teaching at Globe Center for Art and Culture in the city of Hilversum.

Peter Greve

Composer

Peter Greve (1931-2021) was born in The Hague (Netherlands). He received musical training in The Hague from Jean Antonietti and Léon Orthel (piano), Theo Laanen (trumpet), Dr. Marcus van Crevel (music theory), and later from Willem Frederik Bon (Amsterdam), Myers Foggin (United Kingdom) and Terence Lovett (United Kingdom), in orchestral conducting. During this time, he also studied at the State University of Leiden (Netherlands), where he obtained M.Sc. (1957) and Ph.D. (1959) degrees in chemistry.