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Jan Peter de Graaff - Composer

Jan Peter De Graaff’s oeuvre includes works for various instrumentations, from solo and chamber music, both instrumental and vocal, to pieces for orchestra and Music Theatre. De Graaff’s works are inspired by a great amount of musical styles and idioms ranging from French baroque, Eastern and Northern European folk music traditions, to spectralism, jazz, tango and early Hollywood music.
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Jan-Peter de Graaff (1992), born in Papendrecht and raised on the isle of Terschelling, started composing at the age of 15. After two years of private lessons in composition with Klaas ten Holt, he was admitted to the Bachelor studies in Musical Composition at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague in 2010, where he studied with Guus Janssen, Calliope Tsoupaki and Diderik Wagenaar (BMus 2014, MMus 2016). During his final year he took part in an Erasmus exchange programme which allowed him to study at the Royal College of Music (London) with prof. Kenneth Hesketh. During his composition studies, he studied orchestral conducting with Alex Schillings and Jos Vermunt as a minor subject.

Jan-Peter de Graaff's compositions are recognised by a great amount of transparency and use of colour in harmony, structure and orchestration, with an important focus on dramatic arcs and melodic development, usually guided by striking rhythms. De Graaff’s works are inspired by a great amount of musical styles and idioms ranging from French baroque, Eastern and Northern European folk music traditions, to spectralism, jazz, tango and early Hollywood music. From these inspirations, De Graaff creates a musical language that feels familiar, yet still remains completely authentic in the way these influences are incorporated in larger structures, melodies and harmonic progressions. Avoiding clichés, or manipulating them to reveal a completely different musical universe behind it, one can see many of his works as a painting that has another painting under its surface layers, subtly shining through. 

De Graaff’s oeuvre includes now about 50 works for various instrumentations, from solo and chamber music (both instrumental and vocal) to pieces for orchestra and Music Theatre. His music has been performed and commissioned by a great variety in orchestras and ensembles, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Dutch Radio Philharmonic, the Residentie Orchestra (The Hague Philharmonic), the David Kweksilber Big Band, Asko|Schönberg Ensemble, Netherlands Chamber Choir, Ruysdael String Quartet, Maya Fridman, Pieter van Loenen and Duo Kolthof & Van Raat. Performances took place in venues and music festivals both in The Netherlands and abroad. Several works have been recorded on CD and are available on the TRPTK label.

From 2017, De Graaff one of the artistic directors of Ensemble Shapeshift, a new ensemblevehicle for organising performances of recent and new composed music, music theatre and opera.

Quotes:

Martijn Padding (Head of composition, Royal Conservatoire The Hague) “His work is showing f.e. his deep knowledge of the subtle orchestration techniques of composers like Ravel, but also contain influences of spectral composing and many other typical contemporary techniques. Jan- Peter composes intelligent music that departs from human considerations. (…) He impressed many by his endless energy, his commitment to work on text and his concentration on musical details even when it concerns large scale works.”

Kenneth Hesketh (Composition professor, Royal College of Music, London) “Jan-Peter de Graaff’s compositions are carefully conceived, idiomatic in its instrumental approach and with a grateful sonic immediacy. The lyrical quality of his work allied to a rich approach to harmony is most attractive, redolent of invention, individual turn of phrase and felicitous detail.”

Press:

De Synode, chamber opera (2019)

Composer Jan-Peter de Graaff, just in his late twenties, did provide them [the cast] with comfortable, singable lines, which are accompanied, at many times even pierced by multifunctional sound sculptures, performed by the 6-part ensemble Shapeshift. In contrast with spicy tutti’s there are subtle pizzicato sections, the tonally oriented idiom always finds a way to keep your attention, not even mentioning the subtle hints at church chorals and 17th century folk songs”
– Frits van der Waa, Volkskrant

Jutters, violin solo (2019)

“If someone predicted me that in a programme featuring Bach, Bartók and Jan-Peter de Graaff the composition of the latter would interest me the most, I would not have believed that person. Still it was the case. Pieter performed the piece with great dedication […] De Graaff’s new work was bursting with (literal) freshness, it was ‘playing’ in the double sense of the word […] How De Graaff ended up at Folk Tunes from Terschelling […], via beautiful outflanking pathways, full of structure while being unpredictable, was a captivating experience for the listener.”
– Dingeman van Wijnen, Friesch Dagblad

Le café de nuit, symphonic work (2018)

“De Graaff, who grew op on the Isle of Terschelling and studied at The Hague Conservatory, succeeds well, in the grossly 13-minute long, intriguing orchestral work, to summon an atmosphere of hedonism and constant threat. Stylistically, the piece flows in every direction, tonality is not eschewed and his control of the orchestral palet is remarkable for someone of 26 years old. Go listen!”
– Erik Voermans, Parool

All Rise! (Symphonic Ouverture) : for orchestra

Orchestra: Orchestra

Instruments: typewritter picc fl ob ah cl cl-b fg cfg 2h 2trp trb trb-b perc timp of str

Year of composition: 2015            Duration: 8'00"

 

And We All Look at the Sea... : for chamber choir

Vocal music: Mixed choir

Instruments: GK4             Year of composition: 2019            Duration: 8'00"

 

Concerto Grosso : for wind quartet and ensemble

Orchestra: Large ensemble (12 or more players)

Instruments: sax-s sax-a trb trb-b fl eh/ob cl cl-b sax-bar fg h tpt timp 2perc hp cemb 2vln vla vc db            Year of composition: 2015            Duration: 15'00"

 

De Grens (Chamber Opera - short version) : for soprano, mezzo-soprano, bass clarinet, accordion, percussion, violin and contrabass

Opera, musical theatre: Opera

Instruments: 2zang cl-b acc perc vn db    Year of composition: 2017            Duration: 18'00"

 

De Synode (De koopman en de dominee) : A chamber opera in a prologue and two acts, for four singers and six musicians

Opera, musical theatre: Opera

Instruments: zang ob(eh/ob d'amore) sax(sax-s/sax-a/sax-bar/cl-b) pf hp vn cb    Year of composition: 2019                Duration: 80'00"

 

For3 : for clarinet, trombone and double bass

Chamber music: Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)

Instruments: cl trb db     Year of composition: 2013            Duration: 13'00"

 

Jutters : for violin

Chamber music: Violin

Instruments: vn Year of composition: 2019            Duration: 9'00"

 

Le café de nuit : for orchestra

Orchestra: Orchestra

Instruments: picc 2fl 2ob eh 2cl cl-b 4h 3tpt 2trb trb-b tb timp 3perc hp pf cel str Year of composition: 2017                Duration: 13'00"

 

Left... : for string quartet

Chamber music: String Quartet (2 violins, viola, cello)

Instruments: 2vn vla vc  Year of composition: 2014            Duration: 11'00"

 

Les cymbales sonores : for choir (SATB) and large chamber orchestra

Vocal music: Mixed choir and orchestra

Instruments: GK 2fl ob eh cl cl-b fg cfg 4h 2tpt trb-t trb-b timp 2perc hp pf str       Year of composition: 2020                Duration: 5'00"

 

Meccanica : for piccolo and piano

Chamber music: Flute and keyboard instrument

Instruments: picc pf        Year of composition: 2019            Duration: 7'00"

 

Pascal : for septet

Chamber music: Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)

Instruments: fl/picc cl-cl-b pf perc vn vla vc           Year of composition: 2020            Duration: 11'00"

 

Reeks en progressie : for violin, saxophone, steelstring guitar, piano and percussion

Chamber music: Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)

Instruments: vn sax-a/sax-bar g pf perc  Year of composition: 2016            Duration: 10'00"

 

Right (from Left...) : for saxophone saxophone, alto saxophone, trombone and bass trombone

Chamber music: Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)

Instruments: sax-s sax-a trb trb-b              Year of composition: 2017            Duration: 5'00" 

 

Rimpelingen (Concerto Nº 4) : for cello and ensemble

Orchestra: Cello and large ensemble

Instruments: vc-solo fl(picc) eh(ob) cl-b(cl/sax-b) fg(cfg) tpt trb pf(cel) perc 2vn vla vc

Year of composition: 2017            Duration: 20'00"

 

Rimpelingen (Concerto Nº 4) : Arrangement for cello and piano

Chamber music: Cello and keyboard instrument

Instruments: vc pf            Year of composition: 2017 (arr. 2020)      Duration: 20'00"

 

Sept Mouvements : for violin and viola solo and orchestra

Orchestra: Violin and orchestra

Instruments: vln/vla-solo picc 2fl ob eh cl cl-b 2fg sax-sopr sax-a 4h 2tpt flüg 2trb trb-b tb pf cel hp timp perc str  Year of composition: 2014      Duration: 26'00"

 

That All Changes : for guitar

Chamber music: Guitar

Instruments: gtr               Year of composition: 2014            Duration: 7'00"

 

The Bells of St. Clement's : for percussion and piano

Chamber music: Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)

Instruments: perc pf       Year of composition: 2018            Duration: 18'00"

 

Valse du Vin : for soprano and piano

Vocal music: Voice and piano

Instruments: sopr pf       Year of composition: 2017            Duration: 1'30"

 

Variations : for wind quartet and jazz trio

Chamber music: Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)

Instruments: sax-s sax-a/t trb trb-b/trb-db perc pf db       Year of composition: 2018            Duration: 20'00"

 

ZandZeeBar : for baritone saxophone

Chamber music: Saxophone

Year of composition: 2015            Duration: 8'00"

 

Aan de tijd : for tenor, lute/guitar/harp, piccolo, viola, cello

Chamber music: Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)

Year of composition: 2015            Duration: 4'00"

 

Four Dances (Concerto Nº 2) : for clarinet solo, string orchestra, harp, celesta, slagwerk, optional female choir

Unknown: Clarinet and large ensemble

Year of composition: 2015            Duration: 22'00"

 

Layers : for orchestra

Unknown:

Year of composition: 2011            Duration: 7'00"

 

Verses on Subtlety : for big band

Unknown: Big band

Year of composition: 2013            Duration: 11'00"

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