Two new releases have been issued on Michel Van der Aa’s record label Disquiet. The first (DQM05) features two recent concertos, the clarinet concerto ‘Hysteresis’ (2013), and the ‘Violin Concerto’ (2014). Both are performed on the recording by their dedicatees, Kari Kriikku (clarinet) and Janine Jansen (violin), with the support of the Amsterdam Sinfonietta and the Royal Concertgebouw orchestra, respectively.
The second release (DQM06) is of a single, multimedia work, ‘Transit’ (2009), for piano, electronics and black and white film. Performed by Benjamin Kobler (piano) and Joe Bendavid (actor), ‘Transit’ is a composite work comprised of elements from the 2000 piano composition ‘Just Before’, and Van der Aa’s short film ‘Passage’, made at the New York Film Academy.
The concerto recording has already received some warm reviews, with Erik Voermans (Het Parool) describing the Violin Concerto as ‘a fantastic work brimming with moments of beauty and consolation … a captivating and exhilarating discourse’. Frits van der Waa (de Volksrant) calls it ‘a superb performance’ that underlines that Van der Aa is ‘first and foremost a first-rate composer’.
‘Hysteresis’ and the ‘Violin Concerto’ are available as a CD, or together or individually for downloads in high quality WAV or MP3 format; ‘Transit’ is available for download as a high definition MP4 movie, at either 720 or 1080p.