Composer Marijn Simons: 'Everything is about timing'

Although the press picks it up only sparsely, not only the NTRZaterdagMatinee pays much attention to Dutch composers. Indeed, they are also well represented in the AVROTROS Vrijdagconcert (formerly De Vrijdag van Vredenburg). In 2014, for instance, Joey Roukens wrote The building of the temple to on the occasion of the reopening of TivoliVredenburg. Two years later, the season opened with Atlantis by Robin de Raaff. Last September, that honour fell to Rude Circles by Rob Zuidam. On Friday 18 May, the world premiere of Etoile de la mer, which Marijn Simons (1982) also composed for the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Groot Omroepkoor.

It is already his third commission of this broadcasting series, after his trombone concerto Visiting the Angels (2009) and its Fourth Symphony (2012). Simons enjoys working with the musicians of the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. 'They are without doubt one of the best orchestras in the Netherlands. They can do lots of different things and always play at top level. Whether it's Bruckner with Jaap van Zweden or brand new music under Peter Eötvös, it always sounds good. But they also perform baroque or early classical music excellently, while still retaining their own identity.'

Conducting composer

What exactly that identity means, he finds difficult to define. 'They have a compact sound, excel in very different styles and study in no time a composition in. It is incredible what they manage to do in two rehearsals.' Simons speaks from experience, as these days he is making a name for himself not only as a composer but also as a conductor. The programme notes describe him as a 'conducting composer'.

He can agree with this characterisation. 'I am indeed on the road a lot as a conductor, not only with the standard repertoire but also with new music. They are two métiers that influence each other.' Conducting has taught him from the inside how an orchestra functions. 'I know what rehearsal time means. Without compromising, I try to arrange it as practically as possible as a composer. I notate my score so clearly that conductor and musicians - hopefully - understand at a glance what the intention is.'

That a composer would conduct differently from an 'ordinary' conductor, he does not believe. 'There have been great conductors in the past who were also great composers, such as Mahler, Bernstein or Boulez. Conversely, there are also composers who have taken up conducting but are not necessarily very good at it. Then I still find it interesting to hear their interpretation. There is a whole spectrum of possibilities. In fact, there are also many conductors who do not compose but still have deep insight into a score.'

Choir and orchestra in balance

His third commission of the AVROTROS Friday Concert, Simons wrote for symphony orchestra and choir. A tricky combination, he thinks. 'Coincidentally, I have just conducted two large-scale works for choir and orchestra myself, Alexander Nevski from Prokofiev and the Requiem by Mozart. No matter how big the choir and how great the composers are, you still always have balance problems. That's why I let in Etoile de la mer the orchestra rarely sound integral, I approach it mostly chamber-musically. Choir and orchestra are completely equal.'

His new composition is on the programme alongside La mer by Claude Debussy, but a direct link is missing. 'The subject matter is totally different,' Simons explains, 'I have Etoile de la mer based on the prayer to Mary of the same name. My orchestral scoring is about the same as Debussy's, though, supplemented by piano, celesta and extra percussion. Moreover, I use a very short quote from his piece, but that's where the similarities end.'

Our Lady "Star of the Sea"

The inspiration for Etoile de la mer he did while visiting the Basilica of Our Lady "Star of the Sea" in Maastricht. 'I happened to walk past it and spontaneously stepped inside. There is a very special atmosphere, more spiritual than in many other churches. After all, those are often built to show the power of the church, such as the Basilica of Saint Servatius. Our Lady "Star of the Sea" is more at the service of spiritual experience'. Simons experiences this especially in the side chapel where the statue of Mary is located. Many people burn a candle there. You don't do that just like that, but from a certain state of mind. You ask Mary for help with a problem that is bothering you.

Etoile de la mer is the French translation of the prayer written in 1908 by the then parish priest. 'The text is longer than the much better known Ave Maria. He is also more human and dramatic; the theme of hope plays an important role. It deals with a timeless fact: your destiny is not in your own hands. After all, man did not create himself. Through prayer, you place your fate in the hands of another being. In this case Mary, in the hope that she can help you. That feeling comes out very emotionally in this prayer.'

Timeless

The Catholic Church has a strong devotion to Mary, Mary is perhaps even more important than her son Jesus. That does not apply to Simons: 'Etoile de la mer is definitely not a typical Catholic piece. In a prayer, everyone - at least if it is an honest prayer - has their own thoughts. The same goes for the holy books, the Bible, the Torah and the Koran. There is not just one interpretation possible. My concern is with the timeless aspect of religion, which brings people together. My piece was not written for a church but for a concert stage. In that sense, it can be compared to the Requiem By Verdi.'

Emotionally unstable

Notable in the score is the role of percussion. 'There is a large arsenal of metal percussion instruments, including plate bells, gongs, glockenspiel and Chinese cymbals. Such instruments have many audible overtones. In terms of intonation, these interfere with the rest of the orchestra, which plays in tempered tuning (from the piano TD). In addition, I tuned the harp. Moreover, there is a passage in which the solo horn player plays natural tones. These also deviate from the usual tuning.'

To untrained ears, these sounds may be somewhat uncomfortable, some may even perceive them as false. 'That depends on your definition of false' parries Simons. 'It is not microtonal in the strict sense, but purely a form of expression. As I said, the text is mainly about hope. A person in a situation where he is asking for mercy is in an emotionally unstable state. That is made palpable by this intonation.'

Simons is often associated with composers like Milhaud and Poulenc. He thinks this is only partly justified. 'My style is very diverse. Because I now use a French text, some will push me into that French corner, but I like totally different composers. For example, the Britten George Benjamin, Thomas Adès and Marc-Anthony Turnage, but I also admire the American John Adams. I also really like Peter Eötvös and Magnus Lindberg. In the Netherlands, I always look forward to a premiere of Willem Jeths or Louis Andriessen. I don't hang on to any particular school.'

Timing

For a long time, the adage that composers had to be innovative was not really relevant to Simons. 'It depends on the definition of what you call innovative. Typical masterpieces like Tristan und Isolde Whether the Sacre du printemps were certainly innovative, but Sibelius' last symphony was considered too romantic. That was no longer en vogue in his day, but that doesn't make the piece any less fascinating. Bach was also old-fashioned in a way. His son Carl Philipp Emanuel was already moving in a direction reminiscent of the late Haydn. But one is no better than the other.'

How does he judge a composition himself? 'Something intuitive plays a role in this. The most important element is timing. If a piece remains captivating throughout, that is a quality label for me.Also, if the musical material is used economically while still creating an organic whole.'

How - and whether - he achieves that ideal himself is not entirely in his own hands. 'Timing arises quite instinctively with me, but once I set up the beginning, the piece often develops its own laws. The more I follow that, the more organic it becomes.'

AVROTROS Friday concert 18-5-2018 RFO + GOK led by Jun Märkel: including world premiere Etoile de la Mer by Marijn Simons, broadcast live on Radio 4. More info and tickets here. 

I made a report of the 1st rehearsal for the live broadcast and spoke to Marijn Simons afterwards. You can listen to it via this link.