Composer Bart Visman and lyricist Marc Pantus create a cycle of songs about an artist’s experiences on stage for consecutive Competitions. For the LiedDuo and Opera | Oratorio competitions in 2021-2022 the first piece, titled ‘Het Goud van Vermeer’ / ‘Vermeer’s Gold’ was performed.
For the competitions in 2023 – 2024 the piece ‘Veronese’s Groen’ / ‘Veronese’s Green’ has been created.
Commissioned by the International Vocal Competition ‘s-Hertogenbosch as compulsory piece for the IVC 2023 and 2024.
Published under direct management of Stichting ’s-Hertogenbosch Muziekstad.
Published by Deuss Music, The Hague, via www.deussmusic.com.
→ Download sheet music ←
Competition participants decide for themselves whether they perform the Dutch or English text.
Since 2002 a compulsory vocal work has been commissioned for the competition. The following Dutch composers have composed pieces for the IVC: Micha Hamel (2002), Rob Zuidam (2004), Robin de Raaff (2006), Roel van Oosten (2008), Wilbert Bulsink (2010), Jeppe Moulijn (2012), Willem Jeths (2014), Monique Krüs (2016), Sylvia Meassen (2018). In 2021 and 2023 Bart Visman composed the compulsory piece.
The “Van Riemsdijk Prize” will be awarded to the LiedDuo (2023) or singer (2024) that according to the jury is the best interpreter of the compulsory piece by Bart Visman. The compulsory piece will be performed by all singers in the Semi-Finals. Two singers will be nominated to perform the composition during the Finals on the 5th of October 2024 with symphony orchestra PhilZuid, under conductor David Parry. Competition participants decide for themselves whether they perform the Dutch or English text.
Composer Bart Visman and lyricist Marc Pantus (himself a bass-baritone) wrote a song that is directly connected to the experiences of a singer.
“You have a date in your calendar on which you sing a new work. You don’t know it, you never really know how much preparation it requires. And yet, time and time again, you manage to make music with the orchestra, your colleagues and sometimes the choir. That seems self-evident, but it is not. This song is about what a candidate feels in a Competition.”
Marc Pantus
The directness and contemporary approach of Bart Visman and Marc Pantus in the 2022 prize song “The Gold of Vermeer” led former IVC director Ivan van Kalmthout to assign the duo a renewed commission for this year’s Song. It again concerns the experiences of young artists during the first steps of their career and the internal psychology associated with it.
Painting continues to inspire – the second song is titled “Veronese’s Green.” The interesting aspect of a modern text with a theme that directly impacts the interpreters was that every singer who interpreted “The Gold of Vermeer” could make it a very clear story of their own. Some emphasized the nerves associated with performing, while others responded more to the moments of perspective or to references to differences in insight among performing artists.
The emotional palette that Bart Visman allows the singers to address also has a huge variety. From (black) humor to a melancholy that never becomes kitschy. This ensures that a Song often performed in the semi-finals never becomes tedious.
With these two Songs, a small cycle is emerging that will hopefully survive the competitions. It would be a beautiful further contribution from the IVC to the future of the vocal arts.
