Review – De Gelderlander

Jan-Willem Rozenboom Doesn’t Make Bach Jump Out of His Skin

On May 10, he will make his debut at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw during the ‘Piano Nights’ series, and his album Jan-Willem Rozenboom plays Bach – Seven Transcriptions was recently released under his own management. But the general public, of course, knows the 48-year-old Tilburg pianist and former student of Rian de Waal as the accompanist and composer for Guus Meeuwis.

His true passion, therefore, prevails. The new CD ends with a bonus track: Rozenboom’s three-part Fugue in G based on his own hit song, Brabant. Bach and Brabant: this combination definitely leaves you wanting more.

Following the Book

Not least because the keyboardist knows exactly how to follow the rules. Rozenboom himself explains that, just as Bach did, he incorporated “inversions, a minor variation, and a stretto.”

In the other pieces, the pianist always stays close to the original with his arrangements. Original voices such as soprano, flute, and continuo are convincingly translated to the piano sound, maintaining the dramatic tension and without too much ornamentation.

Relying on the Left Hand

Rozenboom approaches the challenge completely differently from well-known and old-fashioned Bach transcribers like Busoni and Stokowski. The Tilburg native has no need to exploit the sound of the modern concert grand piano and, as it were, make Bach jump out of his skin.

He chooses a path closer to the way Brahms handled the famous Chaconne. To convey the expression of the original violin piece as naturally as possible, Brahms only employs the pianist’s left hand. Incidentally, the great 19th-century composer is the only arranger on the album besides Rozenboom.

Autumnal in Color

Highlights of the album are two original vocal pieces. I was charmed by Rozenboom’s version of the famous soprano aria Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben from the St Matthew Passion. The parts for the two flutes and the soprano line merge here into a lyrical piano score. Mache dich mein Geist, bereit from Cantata BWV 115 breathes a comforting peace, and together with the Chaconne, it is one of the longest pieces on the program. The toucher (tone/feel) is autumnal in color. I find the interpretation very relaxed yet full of tension. It’s wonderful for drifting away.

Less Strange Than It Seems

Rozenboom manages the left-hand playing in the Chaconne very well. His dosing of the expression is clever, as is his use of the pedal. The arrangement of one of Bach’s last pieces, Vor deinen Thron tret ich hiermit, is impressive due to the clear structure in Rozenboom’s playing.

As a Brabander and hailing from the castle of Boxmeer, I appreciate the sonic monument the pianist creates out of Brabant. The choice of this song in the Bach program is less strange than it seems.

Musical Family Who Drank in Radio 4

Ten years after writing Brabant, Rozenboom discovered that the harmonies are the same as those of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. This is not surprising, as the pianist comes from a musical family that “drank in” (was heavily influenced by) Radio 4 (a classical music station).

Rozenboom will go on a concert tour this autumn. The CD will then be available for sale at the venues. However, it can also be purchased now via his website: www.jwrozenboom.nl.

It is a pity that all this beauty lasts no longer than three-quarters of an hour.