How would you
summarise yourself in one sentence?
I'm a composer with an eclectic (yet hopefully
distinctive) musical language embracing the great diversity of styles and
genres that make up our current musical age.
What’s your
earliest musical memory?
Probably listening to my father’s vinyl records: mostly
crooners, country and folk music. But I also remember a record of songs played
by a Dutch street organist, which I was very fond of.
What do you like
most about composing?
What I like most is when you stumble upon an idea that
seems brilliant and you think this is going to be the masterpiece you’ve always
wanted to write… only to realize the next day that the idea is not that brilliant
after all and the piece you’re working on is definitely not going to be a masterpiece.
For the most part, it’s not fun to compose: it’s an agony – 99% perspiration
and 1% inspiration!
What inspires you?
Anything can be a source of inspiration – a good movie, a
museum, a night club, etc. But what inspires me most is other music. When I
hear music that really moves or excites me I get inspired to write my own.
When was the last
time you experienced writers’ block, and how did you move on from it?
With each piece, I go through a stage of writers’ block,
sometimes it lasts only a day, other times it can last many weeks or even
months. Frustratingly, there’s not much you can do about it; it’s part of the
creative process. What works best for me is to just accept it and take a break.
How do you feel
about new music and what we’re trying to do with Musically Gifted?
In these times of arts cuts it is very important that
projects such as Musically Gifted exist to make alternative financing of new
music commissions possible. Musically Gifted is a wonderful initiative I can
only applaud. New music that’s being written today must be performed today, for
it has something to communicate to the audience of today.
What would you
like to be recognised for?
Frankly, I don’t care. I just write the music I want to
write and as long as there are listeners out there who think my music is worthwhile,
I am happy.
What advice would
you give to other composers?
I don’t think I’m in the position to advise other
composers, but if I had to advise younger, aspiring composers, I’d say: Be open
to the whole gamut of styles, genres and sources that the current musical
culture has to offer. Embrace everything, question everything and write only
what you want to write, even if you think you shouldn’t write it.
What’s your
musical guilty pleasure?
I’ve got plenty: the lush film scores of John Williams
and Morricone, Strauss waltzes, Bacharach songs, new agey ambient music, at
times I can even enjoy a bit of Einaudi.
If you turned your
iPod on now, what would be playing?
That could be anything from Renaissance vocal music to
the new Aphex Twin album.
Favourite five
tracks of all time?
That’s difficult to say because I have so many favourites,
plus, they change all the time. So let me just give you my favourite composers.
As of now, they are (in no particular order): Bach, Mahler, Mozart, Sibelius,
Stravinsky.
The last concert
you saw?
A concert with orchestral works by Dutch composers,
including a piece by me, about a month ago.
If you hadn’t been
a musician, what might have happened?
Either I would have become a researcher in cognitive
psychology (in fact, I studied psychology at university, as well as music
composition), or I would have ended up a tramp.
Which musical
instrument do you wish you could play, and why?
The violin. Because of the enormous emotional range it is
capable of expressing.
Is there anything
else you want to share with the world?
No, enough said, just listen to my music!Joey's new work will be premiered in March 2014 as part of our At Lunch 4 programme, which also features works by Lou Harrison and Shostakovich.
You can find out more about Joey's music by listening to some tracks on his website.
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