Following this, Leo Samama spoke with Jan Willem about his life as a pianist and composer. Because of Yik Toong, the working language was English. Leo talked about Jan Willem's many varied activities and asked him how he came to compose. Jan Willem replied that it had actually happened quite naturally, after he had already been arranging a lot and adding more and more of his own music to those arrangements. When writing lied, he is intrigued by the complex relationship between text and music. As a composer, he strives for a good unity and hopes that the performers will also experience that unity.
In consultation with the duo and in keeping with the festival theme, he had chosen a lied from his cycle for the Dag van het Lied. In the Biesbosch based on poems by Wim Jilleba. That became the fourth and final lied entitled Meeting yourself. Like Jan Willem, Wim Jilleba was born in Dordrecht, and the nearby Biesbosch forms a major source of inspiration. Both artists knew each other well, regularly cycled together through the beautiful landscape, and engaged in deep conversations. Jan Willem forged four poems into a cycle, which move from a descriptive observation to an increasingly personal experience of the Biesbosch.
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Following the candid interview, Jan Willem Nelleke started working with the duo. The two Fontys students were so enthusiastic that they not only the last, but also the first lied entitled Damselfly They performed. The audience and the composer alike were enthusiastic about the beautiful performance, but as an experienced coach, Jan Willem was able to put the finishing touches to it and immediately shared his ideas about the music. He pointed out the use of the pedal and recommended a better balance between the right and left hand in the second lied: ‘It's the movement of pedalling a bicycle.’ He asked Suzanne to give the pianist space with certain chords. His directions were picked up very well and contributed to a better understanding of the lyrics and the music.
Finally, both lied were performed again, and the audience expressed its appreciation for the music and the musicians with generous applause. Leo thanked pianist-composer-coach Jan Willem for the interview and the masterclass. It was yet another unique part of the Dag van het Lied.
Dinant Krouwel
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