Laurens van Rooyen

Laurens van Rooyen[1] (Utrecht, 27 March 1935) is a Dutch pianist and composer. He is known for his cooperation in the theater with Herman van Veen. He composed many pieces for the piano and wrote the score for several Dutch films. He wrote two books on his experiences as a musician.

Laurens van Rooyen
Birth nameLaurens Johannes van Rooyen
Born1935
Utrecht, Netherlands
OriginNetherlands
Genresclassical, light music, film score, easy listening
Occupation(s)pianist, composer
Instrumentspiano
Years active1976-present
Websitehttp://www.laurensvanrooyen.com, on IMDb

Biography

Laurens Johannes van Rooyen was born in Utrecht, Netherlands, as the oldest son of a grocer. After grammar school he studied at the Utrecht Conservatory of Music, where he met with Herman van Veen. With him he founded in 1966 the Harlekijn Muziektheater. They wrote songs and performed together.

In 1976 he released his first solo album: Kaleidoskoop. Ever since he continues to publish records with various record companies. At the end of the seventies he composed the score for Jos Stelling's Rembrandt fecit 1669, followed by Een vrouw als Eva (A Woman Like Eve), 1979, Lieve jongens (Dear Boys), 1980 and Een vlucht Regenwulpen (A Flight of Rainbirds), 1981. In the nineties he was also involved in the production of several Dutch films.

In 1978 Van Rooyen toured the Netherlands and Belgium, with musicians like guitarist Jan Akkerman. Together with Louis van Dijk, Tonny Eyk, Pim Jacobs, Pieter van Vollenhoven and Daniel Wayenberg he established in 1988 a companionship by the name of de Gevleugelde Vrienden(Winged Friends. 'Vleugel' meaning Wing as well as Grand Piano). They gave more than forty-five concerts throughout the Netherlands.

Since the turn of the century Van Rooyen gives frequently piano recitals in the castles and coach houses along the river Vecht. He also performs for special occasions as anniversaries and jubilees. In 2004 he was commissioned a composition for the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the Cathedral of Utrecht. He also toured the theaters with De Verdwenen Minnares (The Lost Mistress), 2005, a musical ode to romance. Together with Geert Huinink he composed the Dance Opera Orfeo.[2] This premiered at the opening of the Amsterdam Dance Event in 2005. Van Rooyen is the author of two books. In 2015 his most recent: Beethoven was ook een zzp'er (Beethoven was a freelancer, too).

Honors and awards

In 1983 Van Rooyen was awarded the Golden Harp by Buma Culture Foundation. In 2014, Laurens van Rooyen received a royal decoration: Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion.[3]

Discography

Europe (releases 1976-2016)
AlbumYearLabel
Kaleidoskoop1976CBS
Muziek Van Hollandse Meesters Uit De Tijd Van Rembrandt (original Motion Picture Soundtrack)1977CBS
Laurens van Rooyen & Scarlatti1977CBS
Mysteries1978CBS
Silly Symphony1979CBS
Collage1980Philips
Flowers For A Lady1981Philips
Een Vlucht Regenwulpen1981Philips
Misty: A Romantic Piano Concerto1982CBS
Just A Simple Lovesong1983Philips
Brandende Liefde1983Philips
Falling In Love1984Philips
Songs For Piano1984Philips
Portrait1985CBS
Golden Highlights Vol. 231985CBS
Bordeaux Suite1988Rêverie Records
Serenata1989Mercury
From Laurens With Love1990Mercury
Visage1992Mercury
Rêverie 21994Columbia
Traveller1995Columbia
Affair Play1995Columbia
Dichter Bij Water1997Oreade Music
Serengeti Symphony1998SOM
The Piano2001SIL
The Romantic Piano2011SIL
Pianoconcert in C groot2011SIL

Japan (releases 2011-2016)
AlbumYearLabel
Rêverie2011Victor Entertainment JVC Tokyo
As You Like It2015Victor Entertainment JVC Tokyo
My Green Planet2016Victor Entertainment JVC Tokyo

South-Korea
AlbumYearLabel
As You Like It2015Musicmine Records Seoul
Green Valley2015Musicmine Records Seoul
In A Classical Mood2015Musicmine Records Seoul
Love Songs In Spring2015Musicmine Records Seoul
My Favourite Filmthemes2015Musicmine Records Seoul
Mysterious Songs2015Musicmine Records Seoul
Pianoconcert in C Major2015Musicmine Records Seoul
Rembrandt, film music about the life of the great Dutch painter of the Golden Age2015Musicmine Records Seoul
Rêverie2015Musicmine Records Seoul
Scarlatti And Friends2015Musicmine Records Seoul
Stella Maris2015Musicmine Records Seoul
Symphony Of Wine, the story of famous French wine2015Musicmine Records Seoul
The Music Of Water2015Musicmine Records Seoul
The Piano2015Musicmine Records Seoul
The Romantic Piano2015Musicmine Records Seoul
Touchstone2015Musicmine Records Seoul
Trance From A Distant Land2015Musicmine Records Seoul

Bibliography

Books
  • Brieven aan een wonderkind – bespiegelingen over muziek, geluk, succes, glamour en het betrekkelijke van dit alles (Letters to a prodigy - reflections on music, happiness, success, glamour and the relativity of it all), Het Spectrum, 1993. ISBN 90 274 3436 0
  • Beethoven was ook een zzp'er, Leporello Uitgevers, 2015. ISBN 978 90 79624 14 0

Books for Piano
  • Water
  • Flowers for a lady (Never Say Goodbye, Flowers For a Lady, Sunset Serenade, Friendship, To Love You Is To Live, Reflections, Strawberries for Breakfast, Only Then, Mother and Son, Tea With Claire)
  • Inspiration
  • La Grande Parade
  • Visage
  • Traveller
  • Play it Easy (Play It Easy, I’ve No Time Today, The Moon Is A Balloon, On Top Of The World, Three Generations, The Tango, Blues For Charlotte, The Last Waltz, Sunshine)
  • Rêverie 1, 2
  • Serenata
  • Songs for Piano

Orchestral music
  • De Geest van Laat Maar Waaien (The Spirit of Laissez-faire), a symphonic fairy tale about young people and the environment, text by Robert Long.
  • De Verdwenen Minnares, a theater performance with Sanna Dia, voice and Sonja Volten, dance.
  • De Domcantate, for the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the Cathedral of Utrecht (Dom), text by Ina Brouwer. The cantata was performed with the Toonkunstkoor and Henk Westbroek as narrator.
  • De Rabocantate, a special commission for the farewell of the director of 'Rabo Utrecht' Ko van der Maas. Text: Ina Brouwer with the cooperation of the Toonkunstkoor and narrator Henk Westbroek.
  • Dance Opera Orfeo, a cross-over of Electronic dance music, classical music and opera. Performed by dance group ISH (multidisciplinary theater) and Porgy Franssen as narrator. Premiere October 2005, as opening of the Amsterdam Dance Event.
  • De Bosporus Suite, a co-production with Foundation Kulsan Amsterdam who brings Turkish classical music to the Dutch theaters. Van Rooyen incorporated old Turkish and Greek instruments in the composition: the Ney and the Oud.
  • Let’s Twitter, a symphony, commissioned by Achmea and performed at the congress de Pensioen Expeditie on 21 November 2012 in cooperation with the Amsterdam Student Orchestra. In 2013 a simplified arrangement was made for het Amsterdamse Leerorkest.

Film scores

Musical Theater

Menthol, a musical composed in 2016, was commissioned by the Twente region. Van Rooyen wrote the piece together with composer Paul Maaswinkel. Menthol tells the story of the pioneer Joseph Sylvester, the first black man in Hengelo, who sold toothpaste in the 1920s and married a local girl.[4]

Radio

Laurens van Rooyen’s music can be heard regularly on radio stations in the United States, Japan, South Africa and Australia. The Japanese program ‘Radio Midnight Express’ daily plays 'Imaginary Landscapes' as its tune.

References
  1. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (25 January 1986). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 59–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-X0oGVgy5g
  3. Remie, Mirjam (25 April 2014). "Wie kregen er vandaag een lintje? Zoek het hier op". NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  4. "Nu ook theatervoorstelling over Hengelose marktkoopman Menthol" (in Dutch). Twentsche Courant Tubantia. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
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