Cellist Jan Willem Troost plays ‘Life!’

Life takes many forms — from underwater worlds viewed through a microscope to the realms of dreams, mental health, death and mourning. These themes inspired cellist Jan Willem Troost in his solo programme Life!. On Friday evening, 9 January, he will perform at Pakhûs SOLO in Stiens, presenting his own work alongside pieces composed especially for him.

Jan Willem is fascinated by the world of dreams. He regards his nightly experiences as a direct reflection of his subconscious, making dreams an important compass for major life decisions. During the world premiere of Dream Machine, he performs a soundtrack to these dreams.

Argentinian composer Gonzalo Gimenez wrote his Sonata for Solo Cello as an in memoriam for his mother, who passed away in 2019. Living in the Netherlands since 2013, Gimenez was only able to travel to Buenos Aires a month after her death to say goodbye. During that month of deep mourning, he composed the first movement, in which arpeggios and chords evoke a sarabande and the cello sonatas of J.S. Bach. The following year, he added two more lyrical movements with flowing phrases and shifting tempi.

The compositions by Henry Vega were written for the 2018 film Reclaiming Vision. The piece for cello and electronics accompanies microscopic footage of microorganisms living in brackish water (a mix of fresh and salt water) from the Oslofjord. These images reveal vital ecosystem processes: microorganisms produce between 50 and 85 percent of all oxygen on Earth. The film also shows the impact of human pollution on this microscopic life.

In Henry Vega’s opera Secretly, the life of Alan Turing takes centre stage. Turing was a brilliant British mathematician and a key figure in the development of modern computer science, but also a victim of the persecution of homosexuals in 1950s Britain. Vega draws parallels between past and present struggles for sexual freedom, mental health, espionage and the pressure of living with secrets. The opening piece, Victoria Viktoria, serves as an instrumental prologue and a foreboding prelude to the drama.

Jan Willem Troost is a cellist and creative force who works across classical music, world music and pop. He collaborates with composers, theatre-makers, dancers and choreographers, and performed for many years in the ensembles of Carel Kraayenhof. Since 2009, he has been a core member of Modelo62, an ensemble dedicated to contemporary music. Together with electronic musician Henry Vega, he forms the duo Nine Volt. Jan Willem has appeared multiple times at the Cello Biennale in Amsterdam and is also music programmer at Korzo Theatre in The Hague, where he champions new developments in music, sound and performance.

The concert lasts approximately one hour and has no intermission. Coffee or tea is served beforehand, with a drink afterwards.