Otto Ketting “The sensitivity of his music, together with a powerful aesthetic awareness, has always placed Ketting at the lonely top of Dutch composing. The idea that music can touch your heart, not just as a possibility, but as a necessity.” Joep Franssens Otto Ketting rehearsing Time Machine with Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest (1974) Playthings resoundingly contemporary. A good example is majestic opening elements in this third and ‘The journey’ makes a nice metaphor for Ket- his Kammersinfonie in which Ketting salutes sixth symphonies that not only possess the ting’s music. The phenomenon of ‘being en Franz Schreker’s symphony of the same name: character of an entirely non-Wagnerian ‘Un- route’ applies not only to compositions with here, he briefly alludes to this piece twice but endliche Melodie’, but are also based on ea- titles referring to covering a distance (e.g. even if the listener catches these allusions, sily recognisable frames of reference that are ‘Trajecten in four movements’), arriving some- this recognition will only emerge later. Another examined differently with each change in the where De aankomst, (The Arrival), leaving and example is the adagio from his Symphony no. background décor. This has less to do with then coming back to a certain place ‘Lisbon 3 in which this approach is definitely not de- themes – the link with the Second Viennese Revisited’; it applies to his entire oeuvre. This void of irony as can be seen from Ketting’s School in Ketting’s oeuvre is also evident in does not mean, however, that his work is nar- skill at creating a bridge between cool objec- the sense that the intent of his music is essen- rative – far from it. Whether his pieces are tivity and the kind of ‘heart-on-one’s-sleeve tially athematic – than on motifs used as the provided with poetic or abstract titles, their music’ typical of Gustav Mahler whose music basis for progressively enriching the material aim is to create absolute music, even when he is definitely not that fond of. both melodically and harmonically. his music is about music itself, which it often is in Ketting’s oeuvre. Like Igor Stravinsky, he Peaceful coexistence Opus magnum saw remnants of the past as being pure mate- Another essential characteristic is an amal- Regardless of the direction of Ketting’s focus, rial that can be made use of in any way the gamation of down-to-earth objectivity à la his signature will always be immediately re- creator wishes to transform them completely Stravinsky and a warm expressiveness remi- vealed by a completely personalised sound and make them his own. niscent of Alban Berg – all this combined with a balance between nostalgia and utopia. The experiences the listener acquires during with a rhythm related to the minimal music of A sound embodied in an opus magnum com- his ‘journey’ are altered to such an extent that Steve Reich. The collage-like arrangement of posed of a series of enveloping movements the final impression of the work as a whole his Symphony no. 4 sometimes evokes asso- intended to create that one piece in which also comes across as being separate from the ciations with Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind each individual work is an approach to that recollection of the itinerary. In this regard, his Instruments; on the other hand, the music’s perfection which, although ultimately never Symphony for Saxophones is not unlike Tra- monumentality and sumptuous dealing with achievable, is very clearly felt in Ketting’s mu- jecten in four movements or his Symphony no. the brass-section has a Brucknerian quality. sic. This is also why his compositions often re- 6. The listener is simply challenged to be ame- Also typical is a peaceful coexistence between fer to one another by means of a chord, a se- nable to engaging in a journey without being tonality and atonality – evident even in Time ries of chords, a specific motif or a rhetorical concerned about its destination. It was the Machine and also in his Symphony no. 6 – in gesture. These serve as archetypical beacons same idea, as expressed in Kaváfis’ amazing which Ketting sometimes reveals no hesitation within an oeuvre which, as Jan Zekveld, former poem, ‘Ithaka’, which inspired Ketting to write in using elements from twelve-tone technique artistic director of the ZaterdagMatinee, once his opera of the same name in which the sig- although he does so in an unorthodox, almost deservedly remarked, has something mysteri- nificance of the journey is emphasised instead intuitive way. On the other hand, the charac- ous and also timeless about it. The most enig- of reaching its ultimate destination. ter of the harmony is strongly rooted in that matic thing about that oeuvre is an intriguing of jazz and big band music without, however, relationship between its deceptive simplicity Irony referring to these styles of music. Here again, and its colossal depth. This makes Ketting a Ketting’s musical idiom is overtly contempo- Ketting used these aspects as pure material to composer who – no matter how generously rary. Nevertheless, he clearly wrestled with tra- create something entirely of his own. he made use of what his era had to offer- dition which can be seen as a continuous act Whimsy, simplicity and lack of adornment transcends this era and continually composed of renewal and not as stealing from the past. are also characteristics of Ketting’s idiom. music excelling both the old and the new. This can be amply demonstrated by the fact This does not mean, however, that his music that Ketting gave an ironic nod to the past, is simple. Superficially, these aspects might namely by his casual manner of referring to it. have immediate appeal even to listeners not And he does this in such a way that the refe- steeped in contemporary composition, but rence to the past blends seamlessly (and with they also accommodate an intriguing stratifi- an immediate retroactive effect) with his own cation that reveals itself kaleidoscopically and syntax. The result is that tradition becomes usually over long passages. Examples are the List of Works Symphony no. 4 (2007) 22’ 0000 - 4441- 2perc - hp cel - str Solo/Duos/Trios Symphony no. 6 in four movements (2011) 42’ A set of pieces (1967) 15’ 323(cl-b)0 - 4421 - perc - hp cel - str fl pf Time Machine (1972) 11’ Catch (2007) 8’ 03(III=ca)3(cbn) - 4330 - 3perc vn pf Trajecten* (2008) 22’ Dubrovnik (2012) 15’ 3400 - 4331 - perc - hp cel - str cl vn pf Variazioni per orchestra (1960) 12’ Intrada (1958) 4’ 2232 - 2200 - perc - hp tpt solo or hn solo Sonatine no. 1 (1956) 4’ Concertos pf Architectural cadences (2002) 15’ Song without words no.2 (1992) 3’ ob-solo - 0000 - 0000 - 2perc - hp - str(8.6.4.2) fl Capriccio (1987) 16’ Trio (1988) 18’ vn-solo - 111(bcl)1 - 1000 - mar pf - str(1.1.1.1) vn vc pf Cheops (1995) 15’ Trio for violin, horn, piano (2009) 16’ hn solo - 4000 - 0221 - perc - hp - str vn hn pf Concertino (1958) 14’ 2trp-solo - 0000 - 3000 - pf - str Chamber Music/Ensemble For Moonlight Nights (1973) 19’ Albumblatt (2008) 14’ fl-solo 0000 - 0440 - mar hp - 8vn 5vc3cb 6 winds 28hp Robert asks for flowers: homage to Schumann (2000) 20’ Adagio for twelve players (1977) 16’ 4trb-solo - 3+afl3+ca00 - 4400 - 2perc - str(vn va vc) 2cl bcl hn tpt tbn 2perc pf vn va vc A set of pieces, for wind quintet (1968) 15’ Vocal Music fl ob cl/bcl hn bn Summer moon (1992) 23’ Close Harmony (2010) 15’ text: poems by Jakuren, F. Sanasada, Ryokan, T. Taigi, transl. G. saxophone quartet (SATB) Bownes and A. Thwaite (En) De overtocht/The Passage (1992) 17’ sopr - 222(cl-b)0 - 2000 - perc -hp - str(6.4.4.2) afl bcl tpt tbn perc hp gtr man pf vn va vc db Ravel/Ketting (instr.), Trois mélodies (arr. 1990) 12’ Printemps: Souvenirs du Printemps (2002) 16’ for soprano and orchestra string octet text: poems by Roland de Marès, Stéphane Mallarmé and Paul Gravollet (Fr) Schilderijen van Co Westerik-Suite (1965) 12’ 1.Ballade la reine morte d’aimer 2. Sainte 3. Manteau des fleurs music from the film ‘Schilderijen van Co Westerik’ by Bob Krommer S - 2(pic)1eh22 - 2000 - cel, hp, perc(tam-t; Glock) - str fl ob(eh) cl cl-b hn vibr cel hp The Curious Music that I Hear (2006) 12’ String Quartet (2004) 17’ sopr - 1(afl)1(ca)2(bcl) - 0110 - man gtr perc - vn va vc cb 2vn va vc The Light of the Sun (1978) 35’ Summer (1985) 17‘ text: poems of ancient Egypt, trans. Maria Neefjes (En) fl bcl pf sopr - 3(afl)2+ca1+bcl1+cbn - 4320 - 2perc - hp - str Winter (1988) 16’ afl hp vn vc Opera (co-published with Donemus) Ithaka (1986) 90’ Orchestra /Chamber Orchestra /Large Ensemble libretto: Kees Hin, Otto Ketting (En) Adagio for orchestra (1989) 11’ 7soloists ch SATB - 0342 - 6332 - 2perc hp pf(cel) - str 3333 - 4431 - timp 4perc - hp pf(cel) - str Alleman-suite Music composed for film music from the film ‘Alleman’ by Bert Haanstra Alleman-suite (1963) 2121 - 2220 - hp pf(cemb cel) - str(vn va vc) - jazz trio: sax-a dms db music from the film ‘Alleman’ by Bert Haanstra Chamber Concerto (2005) 17’ 2121 - 2220 - hp pf(cemb cel) - str(vn va vc) jazz trio (asax dms db) 011(bcl)1 - 1110 - perc - pf - str(2.1.1.1) De provincie - Suite (1991) 21’ Collage no. 9 (1963) 18’ music from the film De provincie by Jan Bosdriesz 0000 - 6531 bar in Bes - 5perc 0100 - 1000 - pf - str(7.4.3.1.) De aankomst (The Arrival) (1993) 16’ Dokter Pulder zaait papavers - Suite (1996) 19’ 1211 - 2001 - perc - str music from the film ‘Dokter Pulder zaait papavers’ by Bert Haanstra De provincie-Suite (1991) 21’ 0110 - 0000 - perc - pf - str(7.4.3.1.) Music from the film De provincie by Jan Bosdriesz Schilderijen van Co Westerik - Suite (1965) 12’ 0100 - 1000 - pf - str(7.4.3.1.) music from the film ‘Schilderijen van Co Westerik’ by Bob Krommer Dokter Pulder zaait papavers-Suite (1996) 19’ fl ob(ca) cl bcl hn vib cel hp music from the film ‘Dokter Pulder zaait papavers’ by Bert Haanstra 0110 - 0000 - perc - pf - str(7.4.3.1) Arrangements Due Canzoni per Orchestra (1957) 9’ Ravel/Ketting — Trois mélodies (arr.