Dutch pianist dies

Dutch pianist dies

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norman lebrecht

May 09, 2015

We regret to report the death of Ton Hartsuiker, one on the leading interpreters of contemporary music in the Netherlands. He was 81.

Ton Hartsuiker

pictured with his wife, Inge Fröhlich

Comments

  • Ljuba Moiz says:
    May 10, 2015 at 3:18 am

    I’m very grateful to Ton Hartsuiker and to his teaching: just today I performed in Italy a Ton Bruynel work that was highly appreciated. Thank you Ton for your teaching , I’m honoured to
    have been your student in Amsterdam and Utrecht!! We’ll miss you !!
    Ljuba Moiz

    Reply
  • John Borstlap says:
    May 10, 2015 at 1:55 pm

    I will protect Hartsuiker’s memory by not commenting upon what he has contributed to music life in the Netherlands.

    Reply
  • Melisande says:
    May 10, 2015 at 11:18 pm

    O, how ‘honourable’ you are, Mr. Borstlap! May I assume that your comment is born out of rude animosity? In any case it confirms the bad Dutch habit (although in disguise) to indirectly suggest your personal opinion. It couldn’t have been on a less sadder occasion.

    Reply
    • John Borstlap says:
      May 11, 2015 at 9:48 am

      There is something like irony.

      Reply
      • Melisande says:
        May 12, 2015 at 10:13 pm

        Irony? In French it reads “L’arme du faible”!
        However, it’s cunning of Mr. Borstlap to expose his own work to (probably) be played outside the Netherlands. Again, the decease of a fellow-countryman isn’t the appropriate occasion or justification for personnal P.R.

        Reply
  • Guus Mostart says:
    May 11, 2015 at 12:30 pm

    Mr. Borstlap is totally out of order. His tasteless comment on the passing of Ton Hartsuiker has nothing to do with irony but everything with his bitter resentment of being ignored as a composer by the Dutch musical establishment.

    Reply
    • John Borstlap says:
      May 11, 2015 at 1:10 pm

      Maybe some correction would be in place…. Future performances in Vienna, Berlin, Dallas and Hong Kong by more than excellent orchestras are, for me, a welcoming compensation for the level of sophistication found in Dutch music life, of which Mr Hartsuiker was a product. His lifelong advocacy of serious claims for certain types of contemporary music in a way that, for quite some people, did not represent reality, put him firmly outside the central performance culture. The Dutch ‘modern music establishment’ never invited, and still does not invite, respect from more educated quarters. And I don’t want to draw-up a list of anecdotes which amply demonstrate the point, and merely suggested that effusive praise for people like H would be unjustified.

      Reply
  • John Borstlap says:
    May 11, 2015 at 1:46 pm

    Brown’s ‘Novara’ is one of the really interesting / good pieces of sonic art: discrete, inobtrusive, aesthetically pleasing, beautiful colours and surprising textures at places. One wonders why such people insisted their work to be music, it’s much better as ‘objective events in terms of sound’.

    Reply

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