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Erik Koen Van Glabbeek

The Painter of Sound, Piano Composer from The Hague, Holland

PM: Erik, your musical path is quite unique. Tell us about it.

EKVG: I compose piano music in the romantic style of the 19th century. There are currently very few who compose in this style, even though many musicians perform existing compositions from that period. In contrast to the music of the vast majority of modern composers, my compositions are tonal.

PM: How did you get interested in this style of music?

EKVG: My earliest childhood memory of piano music is the warm sound of the piano in the living room. It was always there, played by my mother, later by my brothers as well. My own piano lessons were not successful. The piano music I had heard could not inspire or motivate me.

It was not until later that I became deeply struck by certain romantic piano works, such as the Scherzos or Ballades of Chopin, the Kreisleriana Fantasies of Schumann, and Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz. This was completely different from all the music I had heard before, with such an emotional power!

I realized that the piano could be played in a far more passionate and beautiful way than I previously thought possible. Before, I had generally thought of music as being only pleasant or entertaining. At that moment, however, I experienced a revelation: this music touched my deepest soul.

It showed me that there was more to listening than experiencing sounds in the limited space of the room. It was as if a mental door opened, right through the barriers of the material world. I started having colorful fantasies full of images and feelings about how life should be, filled with challenge, emotion and passion. This connection never went away.

I started to listen to everything played on classical radio stations and spent hours with a headset, just listening to and recording music, always searching for new piano music from the romantic era, widening my knowledge.

PM: Did you decide to return to a formal music education then?

EKVG: Not quite. I went back to the piano, without being able to read notes, but driven by pure fascination for these sounds, and I started to play with intuition and fantasy. I tried to play some of the sounds I picked up, and soon I discovered that it was not possible to play an existing piece without hard study of the musical notation. Still, I would not part with my newfound freedom on the keyboard.

Since then I have spent years dreaming and fantasizing behind the piano and I slowly developed my own style, which of course was heavily inspired by 19th century romanticism. I rarely wrote music down and never read it back. Every musical sentence or piece went into my memory.

PM: You are quite an eclectic artist. You also paint?

Yes, I am a professional painter, although again - rather unconventional. I have chosen to follow my own path and not to study at any academy. I developed my own style by freely experimenting with colors and contrasts.

I am inspired by colors, structures, and effects in nature, which arise through the influence of bright light on trees and plants, and by reflections in the water. What I aim to express is more than just a reproduction. My paintings express mystery, elusiveness. They are also fundamentally related to the dream world and free style of my piano compositions.

I paint the way I play, driven by an emotion which is hard to describe in words, as in a dream, using sharp contrasts from deep dark to bright light, and above all, in freedom without compromise.

PM: Do you think that in a harsh and hectic world like ours there is room for romantics like you?

EKVG: I certainly hope so. I have been playing my music for many years now mostly for myself and a few friends. But my feeling of loneliness started growing when I played. Where was the appreciation? Who would like my compositions? Would I dare play to strangers?

After 22 years my questions were answered. I dared to play my compositions for the first time in front of some small audiences. In April of 2002 I won the first prize at an amateur piano competition playing four of my own Preludes.That same year I produced a CD of my piano music. One of my Preludes was played on national Dutch radio, an event that encouraged me to continue to present my music to the world.

PM: Have you had a good response from classicaly trained musicians?

EKVG: Yes, I received very positive reactions from several classicaly trained musicians. At first that was the group I was a bit afraid of, because I hardly played for other people until very recently. I was very uncertain about how I would be received, but that turned out very well. Of course I got some criticism as well, but mostly in the form of useful advise about technique and structure.

PM: Do you have a desire to learn how to read music?

EKVG: Yes I do. I started reading music some time ago, but I still have a lot to learn.

PM: Do you practice scales and exercises on the piano?

EKVG: Not exactly. Some arpeggios and tremolos. I invented some special exercises for both hands separately, but only to serve the techniques I use in my compositions.

PM: How do you find inspiration in every day life when your ideas run dry? Nature? Movies? Poetry?

Scenes Of Childhood By Robert Schumann. Keyboard. Level: Intermediate/Early Advanced (4/5/6/6+). Published by Alfred Publishing. (632) See more info...

EKVG: If there is no inspiration, I let it rest a while, until it comes by itself. Sometimes inspiration comes suddenly from dreams I have at night. Then I jump out of bed and start playing the piano. Of course I use the "silent" system on my piano in that case.

Attending a piano recital is always a source of inspiration and new energy for me because of the atmosphere of a live performance. The best recitals I witnessed were by Kissin and Ashkenazy. I remember walking back from the concert hall in a state of mind, which I can only describe as waking up from a beautiful dream.

PM: What advice would you give to those who would like to follow in your footsteps?

EKVG: I would encourage other piano players who are interested in the romantic style to listen to the inspiring beauty of historical recordings like those of Lechizki, Paderewski, Lhévinne, Fischer, Friedman and especially Cortot, with his poetic playing of the Scenes From Childhood by Schumann. Their nearly forgotten style of romantic performance has my full attention and appreciation. One can read Kenneth Hamilton’s "Liszt: Sonata in B Minor", chapter 5 to find a well written argument for this way of performing.

I would also recommend every piano enthusiast read Reginald R. Gerig’s "Famous Pianists and Their Technique", which contains beautiful anecdotes and descriptions of the way the old masters played plus a complete history of piano technique.

PM: Besides piano and painting, do you have other artistic interests?

EKVG: Yes, I love to listen to violin, cello, guitar (classical) and Tango music. I also play the guitar myself. I also like artistic photography (especially black and white) I can also be intensely moved by poetry.

PM: Do you have a day job, or is painting your primary profession?

EKVG: I did have a job at a law office until recently, but I quit because I wanted to paint on a more serious level and follow my dream of becoming a professional painter. My works are selling well above my expectations and if this continues I hope to earn my living from painting.

PM: Where do you see your path leading you in 5, 10, 20 years?

EKVG: I hope to establish a name in the art of painting. But as far as it comes to piano playing I really can’t say. It has been only recently that people started to listen to my music, so I can’t predict where it will take me.

You may learn more about Erik from his web site: www.inspire-art.com.

© 2003 PianoMix.com

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