Simeon ten Holt - Canto Ostinato (Metropolis Ensemble; Erik Hall; Sandbox Percussion)

Information

Composer: Simeon ten Holt

1. Sections 1-16
2. Sections 17-30
3. Sections 31-40
4. Sections 41-55
5. Sections 56-73
6. Sections 74-87
7. Sections 88-90
8. Sections 91-94
9. Sections 95-106

Metropolis Ensemble

Erik Hall, piano

Sandbox Percussion

Date: 2026

Label: Western Vinyl

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Simeon ten Holt’s Canto Ostinato inspires a major collaborative reinterpretation by Metropolis Ensemble, Erik Hall, and Sandbox Percussion. Sparked by renewed attention from The New York Times, the group developed a large-scale arrangement for a 2023 outdoor performance, later expanding it into a richly textured recording. Featuring diverse instrumentation and recorded in 2025, the project transforms the original piano work into a cinematic chamber composition. This interpretation broadens the piece’s reach in the United States, affirming its enduring artistic significance and introducing new audiences to ten Holt’s minimalist legacy.

Simeon ten Holt (1923–2012) was a Dutch contemporary classical composer known for his distinctive minimalist style. Born in Bergen, North Holland, he studied under Jakob van Domselaer, whose influence shaped his interest in the interplay between music, visual art, and mathematics. Ten Holt’s compositions often employ tonal harmonies and modular structures of repeating musical cells, allowing performers interpretive flexibility. Primarily writing for piano and multi-piano ensembles, his most renowned work, Canto Ostinato, remains a landmark in Dutch contemporary music. He died in Alkmaar at age 89.

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