Bass-baritone Pieter Vis died: music life loses a highly social musician

Completely unexpectedly, bass-baritone Pieter Vis (1949-2017) died on Thursday 28 September, aged 68. A brain haemorrhage proved fatal to him. Just that morning, he had shared a post on Facebook from the radio programme The Morning of Four. - Under his pseudonym Pyoter Riba, the Russian translation of his name.

Since he discovered this social medium, he proved himself an enthusiastic user, tirelessly handing out likes and compliments to anyone who had anything to say about music. In him, the Dutch music scene loses a particularly passionate musician. His timeline immediately flooded with shocked reactions about his sudden death.

Cordial and collegial

Pieter Vis was one of the warmest, warmest and most collegial musicians I have ever met. Our first contact arose in 1997, when I worked for VARA on the programme series The second face made, dedicated to female composers.

Back then, it was even more difficult to find recordings of composing ladies than today. Searching for music by composers like Catharina van Rennes, Hendrika van Tussenbroek and Bertha Tideman-Weyers, who had been swept under the carpet, I came across his name again and again. - As a boy soprano, as a bass or baritone, but also as a conductor. By phone, he gladly answered all my questions and provided me with valuable tips.

From boy soprano to bass-baritone

After that, I lost sight of Pieter a bit, as he moved into another musical circuit. He mainly made a name for himself in the world of church music and started his career as a boy soprano. As a soloist, he performed regularly with the Rotterdam Boys' Choir, but also soloed with the renowned Vienna Boys' Choir.

He then studied singing with, among others, the alto Annie Hermes. He also took song interpretation and opera courses with such greats as soprano Marie-Cécile Moerdijk and bass-baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. He won several national and international prizes and performed in the Flanders, Salzburg and Berliner Festwochen Festivals.

Fabulous memory

A few years ago, Pieter crossed my path again, via the Facebook he - and I - had just discovered. I had not yet posted a message or he had already liked it, and so did all his followers. Enthusiastically, he shared our posts, posted videos and photos of his own performances past and present and commented on them.

He possessed a fabulous memory and great knowledge of Dutch musical life, which he shared selflessly. Where he found the time to actively follow so many people is beyond me. In the meantime, after all, he continued to perform, organise concerts and guide young people on their way to a professional career.

Final farewell

Several times he said 'final' goodbye to his singing career. But he could not resist singing, and climbed the stage again and again. Thus, after yet another farewell, I heard him in a recital of Dutch opera music in Museum Kröller-Muller. For me, his warm voice and empathic interpretation formed the highlight of the concert.

On the website we read that on 16 December 2018, 'the curtain will finally fall for Dutch concert singer and musicologist Pieter Vis'. This very last of all last performances he will not make it, henceforth Pieter will sing in heaven.