LUDOVICO EINAUDI : Waves -The Piano Collection (2013) 7CD BOX-SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Ludovico Einaudi’s aesthetic of emptiness has won him legions of fans worldwide, and Jeroen van Veen’s survey of the piano music which is central to Einaudi’s style belongs with his survey of minimalists including Glass and Nyman who are less concerned in music as an expressive language than as a commercial artefact. Likewise, his listeners absorb the music less in the sense of engaging with meaning than as backdrop to activity or release from stress. The works on this compendious collection are nearly all ‘songs’ of between 3 and 7 minutes, with the influence from pop culture that this brevity implies, and sharing with the pop world an economically aware employment of simplicity and repetition so as not unduly to tax the attention-span of the consumer. As Jeroen van Veen remarks, ‘Contrary to ordinary classical music, minimal music demands little of the listener but to escape life’s troubles for a moment; no comprehensive musical structures ask their full attention.’

All his compositions are more or less based on the music he heard when he was a child, when his mother played Chopin Preludes. Einaudi (grandson of the politician Luigi Einaudi) loved the almost hypnotic soft sound of the upright piano. Because of her he started to play the piano and tried to find his own way. The melody (if there is any at all) always goes down, hardly leaving the classical path of harmonies. His music is ambient, calm, meditative and often introspective, drawing on minimalism and contemporary pop.

Other information:
- Ludovico Einaudi may well become the “Satie of the 21st century”. His minimalist, deceptively simple piano works reach a massive audience well beyond the strict boundaries of traditional classical music. CDs with his music break sales records, the hypnotic calmness of his works being the perfect recipe against modern world’s stress and fatigue.
- Einaudi’s piano works fit in logically with Jeroen van Veen’s survey of Minimalist Piano Music, and this 7-CD set is the most substantial collection available at present.
- Booklet contains an introduction by Jeroen van Veen to the popular success of Einaudi. brilliantclassics.com
Tracklist :
CD1. Le Onde (1996)
CD2. Eden Roc (1999)
CD3. I Giorni (2001)
CD4. Una Mattina (2004)
CD5. Divenire (2008)
CD6. Nightbook (2009)
CD7.  In A Time Lapse (2013)
Piano – Jeroen van Veen 

SIMEON ten HOLT : Complete Piano Works (Jeroen van Veen) 20CD BOX-SET (2023) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

The most complete collection ever issued of the Dutch Minimalist master, including the famous Canto Ostinato but also many previously unreleased recordings, all made by a pianist with an international reputation in the field of Minimalism.

‘Given his music’s virtuoso demands, and its spirituality, it is tempting to call him the Franz Liszt of minimalism.’ This assessment of Simeon Ten Holt by an American reviewer points to Ten Holt’s originality, his industry and his influence over modern Minimalism in the generations after its 1960s birth in America. As with Liszt in Weimar during the 1850s and 60s, many paths have led to and from Ten Holt’s music. It has long been recognised that with Canto Ostinato, his flexible sequence of 92 variations on a simple bass-line, Ten Holt built a masterpiece to stand alongside the likes of In C by Terry Riley, and Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians.

However, this box-set shows how much more there is to Ten Holt. The boy Simeon was introduced to the world of music by hearing his father play the first movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata one night, and from then on he was entranced by the possibilities of stretching time through patterns. Late in life, he remarked: ‘I am the time, and I have the time.’ This box traces his development as has never been possible before, from the early untitled Compositions, comparable to the Abstract Expressionist canvases of the time, through miniatures such as sets of Epigrams and Aphorisms, to the triumph of Canto Ostinato, and then far beyond, to the mystical cycles of Lemniscaat, Horizon and finally the renewed vigour of Eadem Sed Aliter (‘The Same but Different’), a late piece which, as the composer remarked, ‘takes away the limits of the concepts of ‘beginning’ and ‘ending’, ‘before’ and ‘after’.’

As he explains in a personal introduction, Jeroen van Veen first encountered the music of Ten Holt as a child, listening to the radio to (as he discovered much later) the premiere of Horizon: ‘the notes melted together to create such a rich tapestry of colour.’ He has since performed Canto Ostinato and the rest of Van Veen’s music many times and in many countries, and in 2001 he became the founder chair of the Simeon Ten Holt Foundation. His performances, as recognised by critics in publications worldwide, are beautifully recorded and bear the stamp of complete authority in this music.

- Simeon Ten Holt (1923-2012), a Dutch composer known for his mesmerizing and unique style, has left an indelible mark on the world of contemporary classical music. Born in 1923 in Bergen, Netherlands, Holt's musical journey began at an early age, and he later pursued his studies at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. Throughout his prolific career, Holt created an impressive body of work, but it is his piano compositions that stand out as some of his most iconic and influential pieces. His music is characterized by a minimalist approach, where repetitive patterns and gradual transformations create an immersive and meditative experience for both performers and listeners.
- Holt's most renowned work, "Canto Ostinato," exemplifies his distinct compositional style. Composed between 1976 and 1979, it features interlocking motifs that unfold in a seemingly endless progression, captivating audiences with its hypnotic and trance-like quality. The piece can be performed by multiple pianos or other instruments, allowing for a rich and ever-changing sonic landscape.
- Beyond "Canto Ostinato," Holt's complete piano works span various compositions and periods, each exploring different facets of his minimalist aesthetic. Pieces like "Lemniscaat" and "Horizon" continue to intrigue and challenge performers and listeners alike with their intricate structures and harmonic richness.
- This set is a landmark of contemporary Minimalist piano music, and a labor of love of Dutch pianist Jeroen van Veen, champion of Minimalism, and ardent admirer and advocate of Ten Holt’s piano music. In certain works he is joined by fellow pianists Sandra van Veen, Fred Oldenburg and Irene Russo. brilliant

Tracklist & Credits : 

DENNIS JOHNSON | PHILIP GLASS | TOM JOHNSON | PETER GARLAND | TERRY RILEY | HAROLD BUDD | LA MONTE YOUNG (Jeroen van Veen) – Minimal Piano Collection Volume XXI-XXVIII (2017) 8CD | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Who is the true father of Minimalism? When the movement originated in the early 1960s, it sprang up organically – some composers played by the rules (even if they were rules of their own invention), while others experimented freely, unaware or unconcerned about how music 'should' be composed. One of those young mavericks was Dennis Johnson, who has now faded into almost complete obscurity after he gave up his musical ambitions for a career in mathematics. But his 1959 composition November can be considered one of the first, if not the first, properly minimalist work. It later went on to inspire La Monte Young (Johnson's class mate at UCLA) to write his prolific Well-Tuned Piano. Complete recordings are few and far between, and this new recording by Jeroen van Veen is the perfect introduction for anyone looking to get back to the roots of Minimalism.

Jeroen van Veen is one of the Netherlands' most prominent recording artists. This collection of Minimal Piano Music follows two previous successful albums, available on Brilliant Classics (BC8551 and BC9171). The last album provided a snapshot into the extensive scene of minimalist music today; this one takes us back to how it all began. Featuring several famous pieces from the original minimalist canon – including Philip Glass's Music in Contrary Motion and Terry Riley's Keyboard Studies – there are hours of beautifully relaxing and inspiring music here to enjoy.

This 8CD set bring the listener back to the roots of Minimalism, all works were written in the seventies of the 20th century, a time when the new aesthetics and perception of music, sound, repetition and time experience were creating a new chapter in music history. The longest piece is the 5 hour “November” by Dennis Johnson, a work in which the player is free to build the intervals and chords according to his own timing and spacing. The other composers in this set are Philip Glass, Tom Johnson, Peter Garland, Terry Riley, Harold Budd and La Monte Young. Recorded in his own studio by the most important protagonist of Minimalism today, Dutch pianist Jeroen van Veen. Van Veen has a myriad of recordings to his name, notably the multi CD boxes Minimal Piano Collection 1 and 2, complete Satie, Einaudi, Tiersen, Jacob ter Veldhuis, Simeon ten Holt and many more.
Van Veen wrote his own personal and illuminating liner notes for this set. brilliantclassics.
Tracklist:
CD1    Dennis Johnson: November I/IV: Part 1 to 6
CD2    Dennis Johnson: November I/IV: Part 7 to 12
CD3    Dennis Johnson: November I/IV: Part 13 to 18
CD4    Dennis Johnson: November I/IV: Part 19 to 24
CD5 Philip Glass : Two Pages / Music in Fifths / Music in Contrary Motion
CD6 Tom Johnson
CD7 Peter Garland
CD8 Teodoro Cottrau | Harold Budd | La Monte Young
Artist : Jeroen van Veen piano

MICHAEL NYMAN : Complete Piano Music (Jeroen van Veen) (2016) 2CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1     The Heart Asks Pleasure First I 4:16
Michael Nyman
2     Lost And Found 3:15
Michael Nyman
3     All Imperfect Things 3:42
Michael Nyman
4     The Promise 3:07
Michael Nyman
5     Big My Secret 4:02
Michael Nyman
6     The Mood That Passes Through You 3:19
Michael Nyman
7     Deep Sleep Playing 2:10
Michael Nyman
8     The Embrace 2:22
Michael Nyman
9     Silver-fingered Fling 4:23
Michael Nyman
10     Here To There 1:38
Michael Nyman
11     The Attraction Of The Pedalling Ankle 6:04
Michael Nyman
12     The Heart Asks Pleasure First II 3:05
Michael Nyman
13     Jack 2:31
Michael Nyman
14     Franklyn 2:27
Michael Nyman
15     Nadia 3:24
Michael Nyman
16     Debbie 4:16
Michael Nyman
17     Bill 2:56
Michael Nyman
Tracklist 2 :    
1     Odessa Beach 3:51
Michael Nyman
2     Diary Of Love 3:27
Michael Nyman
3     Digital Tragedy 2:52
Michael Nyman
4     Fly Drive 0:58
Michael Nyman
5     The Morrow 4:26
Michael Nyman
6     The Departure 3:48
Michael Nyman
7     The Exchange 3:29
Michael Nyman
8     Why? 3:10
Michael Nyman
9     The Schoolroom 2:03
Michael Nyman
10     If 4:27
Michael Nyman
11     Goodbye Moortie 2:55
Michael Nyman
12     Chatterbox Waltz 2:27
Michael Nyman
13     Candlefire 3:29
Michael Nyman
14     Chasing Sheep Is Best Left To Shepherds 4:10
Michael Nyman
15     Sheep 'N' Tides 2:30
Michael Nyman
16     Time Lapse 5:30
Michael Nyman
Credits :
Piano – Jeroen van Veen