'Canto Ostinato' by Simeon ten Holt
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Inspired by the ever-fluid nature of Canto Ostinato (composed by Simeon ten Holt), 'Ways of Seeing' is an ongoing project by Justin Snyder that aims to recontextualize the piece in a multitude of settings- each iteration an invitation to 'see' anew, in synergy with music, visual art, architecture, movement and dance, scent, and beyond.
Highly emotive and intuitive, Canto Ostinato is described by the composer, Simeon ten Holt, as more ritual than 'concert' - and that throughout the 70-minute work, 'time turns into space and the music begins to hover'.
Originally scored for four pianos and often performed in unusual instrumental permutations, this performance features the piano on a solo journey. Broadly defined as 'minimalism', Canto Ostinato has shades of the Baroque (à la Bach) and a lyrical elegance reminiscent of Schubert. The trance-like ostinato pattern (a persistent motif that underpins the entire work) constantly shifts in harmony yet provides the rhythmic framework sustained throughout.
There are an infinite number of ways to 'hear'/'feel' this piece. Driven by long spans of harmonic tension and release, the music is composed of simultaneous layers of motoric, forward-moving notes shared between the hands. Sounding as if eight hands are playing all at once, melodies emerge seamlessly from the dense texture, with the ear constantly discovering new pathways. Details of duration, articulation, dynamics, and even the order of sections and their repetition are left to the imagination of the performer. The 'choose-your-own-adventure' style of the work means that no performance will ever be the same.
