thorwald's blog

Composing for theremin

Tonight I'll be teaching my first theremin class! As a part of the preparations for Thereminfestival.nl I will give a lecture on the ins and outs of composing for theremin at the Rotterdam Conservatory. Especially for this lecture I wrote a short introduction on this subject. This was something I've been thinking of for some time now, and the lecture was a good occasion to finally execute this plan.

Guest lecture at Rotterdam Conservatory

Codarts logo

This week I had a very nice meeting with René Uijlenhoet, head of the compostion department of the Rotterdam Conservatory (Codarts). Their composition class is going to be a part of the Thereminfestival.nl, which is great news.
 

Theremincello

Electrio

It is hard to believe but in a few weeks I will have a new Theremin instrument: this time it's a Theremincello. What is a Theremincello? It is actually the same as a Theremin but played in a more traditional way, like a cello. The pitch is controlled through a ribbon and the right hand has a lever, used for controlling volume and articulation, just like the left hand of the space controlled Theremin (see pictures).

Custom made Theremin

My new custom made Theremin

For a long time, I have been looking for the perfect instrument to use for my concerts. Unfortunately, most of the currently available Theremins didn't suit me completely. Luckily, one of my close friends is Thierry Frenkel, who also happens to be most brilliant genius in the Theremin world. After having spent over a year discussing my wishes, we decided in July 2011 that it would be a good time to start building a custom made instrument for me.

Hands OFF 2011

Theremin orchestra rehearsal

Last weekend (July 30th/31st) I visited Hands OFF 2011. This festival took place in the British seaside resort Scarborough, which made it a very pleasant weekend to begin with.
After arriving in Scarborough, I first met up with my fellow Thereminists, some of which I’ve already met, like Lydia Kavina and Carolina Eyck, and others who I met for the first time, like Barbara Buchholz and Thomas Grillo.

Leon Theremin in Paris

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I found a very interesting article from a Dutch newspaper, containing a review of Leon Theremin, playing in Paris in December, 1927. The article provides a wonderful image of the impression that Leon Theremin and his new instrument made on his audience.

Festival Classique

Festival Classique

A couple of months ago someone tipped me about a competition in which you could win a performance on the main stage at the Hofvijver in The Hague, with an audience of 1200 people. I hesitated, but finally enrolled in this competition.


After having waited in anticipation, I received the results of the competiton: I won! I’m selected to play at Festival Classique and furthermore I’ll be interviewed by Radio 4 (the classical radio station in the Netherlands). This broadcast will also feature a live performance.

Percy Grainger's Free Music

Free Music score

About a month ago I talked to conductor Jan Gerrit Adema. He asked me if I knew of any recordings of works for Theremin by Percy Grainger. He wanted to use these recordings in a special Grainger concert that he was planning.

Bass register and new module

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Two weeks ago I visited Thierry Frenkel in France. During this stay, Thierry fitted my Theremin with his ESPE01 module. After several practise sessions I can’t imagine ever playing another instrument than this one. The number of improvements due to this module can barely be described.

Premiere recording of Joseph Schillinger

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April 4th and 17th I'm recording with pianist Thijn Vermeulen at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. The repertoire will consist mainly of original pieces written for Theremin. The most remarkable piece is 'Bury Bury Me Wind' (1930), composed by Joseph Schillinger, scored for soprano, Theremin and piano. It was premiered on January 4th,1931 in the New York Town Hall by Leon Theremin, Nina Koshetz (soprano) and Boris Kogan (piano).