In a recent review, Els van Swol wrote about the NTR Saturday Matinee program at the Concertgebouw, which featured the premiere of Willem Jeths' Viaggio Italiano and Rossini's Petite messe solennelle.
Kees Vlaardingerbroek, a former artistic director and an expert in Italian music, curated a compilation of Italian travel descriptions and poetry. This compilation inspired Willem Jeths to compose "Viaggio Italiano," a piece for a mixed choir (the Groot Omroepkoor), oboe (Hans Wolters), and piano (Thomas Beijer).
Death is the linchpin of this and many other compositions by Jeths, such as the impressive orchestral piece Flux/Reflux (Eb/Vloed ) that he wrote after the death of both his mother and one of his former composition teachers, Tristan Keuris. (Els van Swol, 8weekly, May 7th 2024.)
It is striking that the composer here chooses a beautiful period structure (balanced musical sentences of approximately the same length) in the oboe solos, as if it is a tribute to the Italian architect Palladio, to noble simplicity and quiet grandeur. (Els van Swol, 8weekly, May 7th 2024.)
The complete review can be found on 8Weekly.
