Jan van Gilse

Jan van Gilse (1881-1944) a Dutch composer and conductor, began serving as director of the Utrecht Conservatory in 1933, a post he accepted upon leaving Berlin after the rise of the Nazi regime. In 1935 van Gilse founded the Stichting Nederlandse Muziekbelangen [Dutch Musical Interests], a foundation to promote the performance of Dutch music. A strongly independent spirit, van Gilse refused to join the Kulturkammer, a condition of publication and performance under the Third Reich; his work was banned as a consequence. Along with both his sons, van Gilse became active in the Dutch resistance. By 1942 it was necessary for both the composer and his wife to go into hiding. Following his son’s executions in 1943 and 1944, Van Gilse was admitted to hospital under a false name. Van Gilse was ultimately buried in an unmarked grave in order to protect those who had been helping him.

Trio for Flute, Violin and Viola

Trio for Flute, Violin and Viola is a work strongly influenced by late German Romanticism and late French Impressionism, van Gilse’s Trio presents a wonderful opportunity for the contemporary flautist, whose repertoire does not include many chamber music pieces in this late Romantic style. Saturated in sumptuous chromaticism and featuring sultry melodic lines (and over sixteen minutes in duration), the Trio for Flute, Violin and Viola is a highly substantive work in the flautist’s late Romantic repertoire.

Article courtesy of Suzanne Snizek taken from http://ssnizek.finearts.uvic.ca/.

Sources

Leo Smit Foundation website. Accessed 2 June 2017. www.forbiddenmusicregained.org/search/composer/id/100024