Rembrandt Frerichs – Composer

Keep browsing or go to the general website of Rembrandt as a pianist-composer and artistic initiator.

Composing is all about playing

Rembrandt literally grew up in his father music shop, south of Rotterdam. Since a kid, he’s been playing piano (his main instrument) and organ, had trumpet and drum lessons and also picked up some acoustic bass. After highschool in the Netherlands he spent a couple years in the Middle East, aged 17 to 19 years old.

To focus completely on the piano, he went to study at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and was offered a scholarship to study for some time in New York City. He’s been based in The Hague ever since his studies at the conservatory.

His journey into composing began with encouragement from his colleagues, who frequently requested more of his music for their concerts. Grateful for their support, he promised to bring new pieces to their performances—a commitment that drove him to further develop his skills as a composer.  (Watch this concert at the Concertgebouw by Liza Ferschtman). This pivotal encouragement inspired him to expand his work for a variety of ensembles. Today, his focus on composing has grown to the point where he also often steps back from the stage, dedicating himself to creating music for others to perform.

Rembrandt’s music is characterised by a strong rhythmic drive. Poetic rhythms give his compositions a sense of accessibility. However, as performers delve deeper into the pieces, they often discover the delicate craftsmanship underlying the music. (Watch some of that rhythmic drive here) performed by David Cohen & Daniel Rowland

Tailormade expression of the individual

Rembrandt is inspired by the storytelling of each musician or singer he writes for.

Whenever composing for someone, he starts with a conversation about what this specific artist wants to express in their music. The focus then lies on crafting a personal, true story.
Rembrandt: “For me, composing is not merely about arranging notes on a page but about uncovering the hidden potential of the individuals l’m writing for”

Freedom in music

Regarding himself as a catalyst for artistic expression, Rembrandt provides the performer with significant freedom to interpret freely and improvise with his scores, thereby highlighting their individual qualities. This collaborative approach provides for each concert becoming a different one, both for the musician and the audience. By this focus on the individuality of the performer, his compositions are never static.

Rembrandt: ‘I always encourage musicians to embrace vulnerability. I believe authenticity comes out most when artists allow their “true selves” to be heard, imperfections and all: in my personal experience this approach brings out a more deep connection between the performer and their audience”

The classical now

‘When Mozart performed, he played Mozart. And he improvised. In that respect, the concerts of my music sometimes might be closer to the performance practise of the classical composers than many people might think.’

Within classical music, improvisation – originally an important part of the working method for many classical composers – has faded into the background. In the current concert practice we are paradoxically drifting further and further away from how the classical composers themselves worked.

“Mozart, for example, is known for often having no written piano part when he performed the piano concertos…at least not until his publisher urged him to write down his music so that others could perform it as well. One could say that from the late 19th century onwards, classical tradition drifted away from this, towards a more strict approach of playing only the written notes, without the original spontaneous elements. i intend to bring back that element to classical music“

See here the dedicated page of Rembrandt Frerichs at New Music Now: