SMK100 | Suzanne Peeters – Orchestral Suites

24 Jul SMK100 | Suzanne Peeters – Orchestral Suites

The soothing sounds of Suzanne Peeters early Piano and Clarinet works reminds the listeners of both Valentin Silvestrov’s Bagatelles for Piano (2005) and Arthur Russell’s 1975 Instrumentals. Leaving room for musicians to adapt to the seemingly easy structures, Peeters gives rise to an aesthetic that incorporates pop and jazz characteristics. Though the pieces all have their distinct sonic periphery, Peeters’ auditory autograph is obviously present in all five pieces: her focus on simple harmonic structures, musical coloring and slow rhythmic changes signify the charming world of this Belgian composer.

Originally meant for a small movie production called ‘Chema’, Peeters’ music tries to capture the cinematic portrayal of Álvaro de Campos. Focussing on strict structures and small – but nevertheless meaningful – changes in time and color, Peeters’ beautifully sketches the personality of a man not-knowing.

This small release has been directed by Maria Afonso, with the generous support of De Bescheidenheid. We would like to thank Smikkelbaard for giving us a platform to present Peeters’ work and of course we would like to show our appreciation to Bert Geelink for keeping us on the right track. The scores of this piece are kept at the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Den Haag.

Personnel
Joop Maas – Grand Piano
Cooper Wilde – Eb Clarinet
Frederique Masquet – Mallets
Meredith Black – Percussion
Mortengo String Quartet

Recorded on the 10th of May, 2017 at Studio Haring met Ui, Katwijk.