Late-night concert with BLINDMAN (sax)

Saturday March 9, 20:30
(Doors open at 19:30)
Oslo Cathedral

Adult: 400 NOK
Senior/student: 300 NOK
Child: 100 NOK

Duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes

BL!NDMAN [sax]:
Pieter Pellens (soprano saxophone)
Hendrik Pellens (soprano saxophone)
Eric Sleichim (alto saxophone)
Piet Rebel (tenor saxophone)
Sebastiaan Cooman (baritone saxophone)

Following the successful concert 32 foot/The organ of Bach in 2019, Belgian BL!NDMAN [SAX] is back with another exciting project. Eric Sleichim and organist Reitze Smits have arranged two iconic works by the great German master G.F. Handel: Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks. The works are arranged for saxophone quintet and church organ, and together they cover all of the original orchestral parts in different variations. In some sections, the organ plays the basso continuo part and the oboe solos, while the rest of the orchestra parts are distributed between the five saxophones. In other movements, the opposite is the case; the saxophones play the solos, and the rest of the ‘orchestra’ is played by the organ. The result of this is an innovative, colourful, and diverse interpretation of the well-known Baroque works – on instruments that did not even exist in the composer’s lifetime. Between Handel’s works, the audience will hear Le Chaos from the orchestral suite Les élémens by the Baroque composer Jean-Féry Rebel (1666–1747) and the organ work La Nativité du Seigneur by French Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992).

Ben Van Nespen received his master’s degree specialising in organ at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven with Reitze Smits, as well as a master’s degree in harpsichord with Kris Verhelst. Van Nespen has won several awards, among others the organ competition ‘Musica Antiqua’ in Bruges (2009), the first Belgian to win since the competition was founded in 1964. As an organ and harpsichord soloist, he interprets an extensive repertoire from the 18th century to our time. As a basso continuo-player, Van Nespen has worked with ensembles such as Anima Eterna Brugge, B'Rock, Le Pavillon de Musique, and Oltremontano. Van Nespen also teaches organ and harpsichord at the music academies of Ekeren and Wilrijk.

Composer and saxophone player Eric Sleichim founded the saxophone quartet
BL!NDMAN [sax] in 1988. The quartet has developed new playing techniques and expanded the repertoire for the saxophone quartet significantly, with genre-crossing collaborations. Eric Sleichim and BL!NDMAN has garnered international acclaim with their interdisciplinary approach, and has since the beginning worked with dance and theatre, as well as multimedia projects and music for silent films. In his exploration of the saxophone quartet’s potential, Eric Sleichim has focused on early music and has arranged several works for this ensemble.

Photo: Ben Van Nespen: Quimper, Bl!ndman: Guy Kokken