Canto Ostinato

Simeon ten Holt

Dutch composer Simeon ten Holt described his work as being structured like the genetic code, which is perfectly expressed via the repetitive though minimally varying tonal patterns that compose his famous Canto Ostinato. There are over 100 such patterns or tonal cells in this work, each comprising only a few bars.

At times, the piece creates a never-ending soundscape that seems like a running river with tiny Schauberger swirls and eddies that move the listener along his or her own journey of concentration. At other times, it seems to snap you out of the spiral of notes into a new environment of perception.

The Canto Ostinato can be played by different instruments and different numbers of musicians, or even solo. One ensemble in Dresden played the piece in a version for drums, organ, and piano.

Here we have the most frequently used combination of four pianoforti and a magnificent performance by the Dutch Rondane Kwartet. The players are fully focused on their parts and yet interacting like four minds painting a common musical cosmos. Mesmerizing.

Catherine saw a performance of Canto live earlier this year in the Dutch city of Leeuwarden.