Some music intrigues immediately, but only gradually reveals its secrets. With Tristan Keuris (1946-1996), these two qualities go hand in hand. His music is contemporary and at times unruly, yet also lyrical and rich in tone colour. The Animato Quartet and clarinettist Jelmer de Moed bring together three works from the period 1982-1990 on this CD. They show how Keuris evokes varied moods with compact musical ideas and regularly surprises the listener with unexpected turns.
Keuris was one of the most important Dutch composers of the second half of the twentieth century. He studied with Ton de Leeuw and gained considerable recognition in 1976 with his Sinfonia, for which he received the Matthijs Vermeulen Prize. His chamber music also deserves considerable attention. It is precisely there that his sense of tone colour and his ability to reconcile lyricism and musical restlessness become clearly apparent. The three works on this CD reveal different facets of that musical language.
From cutting sounds to hushed lyricism
The CD opens with Canzone for solo clarinet. Jelmer de Moed immediately shows how fascinating this piece is. His warm clarinet tone and the crystal-clear recording do justice to the various facets of the music. De Moed keeps the listener engaged by constantly letting the sound change in character. Even the shrill, almost cutting tones sound entirely logical in his hands. They are not effects in themselves but form part of the musical argument and give extra relief to the more lyrical passages. It is precisely this alternation that makes Canzone so compelling.
The immediate transition to the String Quartet No. 1 from 1982 is particularly successful. Where Canzone explores the possibilities of a single instrument, the quartet distributes the musical unrest across four voices. In the Introduzione the whole initially sounds melancholic and searching, with a slightly grating undertone. Gradually the musical ideas become increasingly interwoven and the mutual relationships constantly shift.
The Animato Quartet keeps this multiplicity clear without smoothing over the angular edges of the score. Then the music accelerates: the short motifs sometimes seem almost to interrupt one another, giving the first movement a markedly nervous character. Towards the end the music withdraws for a moment, after which the energy flares up again and the movement gradually leads into a hushed close. The quartet shapes these contrasts carefully, with an eye for both the nervous outbursts and the moments of stillness.
In Calando the centre of gravity shifts towards lyricism. The melodic lines unfold in an almost narrative movement and seem to hesitatingly seek each other out. The quartet gives these lines full scope while preserving the wavering character of the music. The first violin comes forward as the leading voice, while the other instruments pointedly comment on her line. In this way a fascinating dialogue of question and answer arises, in which the voices complement and respond to one another.
In Quasi agitato the restlessness returns, with sharp rhythmic accents and rapid exchanges between the instruments. The quartet plays with momentum but keeps the individual lines recognisable. The nervous energy comes fully to the fore, while the musicians maintain the coherence of the whole.
Between lyricism and unrest
Keuris wrote the Clarinet Quintet from 1988 for clarinettist George Pieterson and the Orlando Quartet, on the occasion of the centenary of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. De Moed plays the clarinet part on the A clarinet, whose warm sound suits the lyrical and melancholic aspects of the score well. Yet the music does not remain constantly in a contemplative mood.
From the very first notes of the Lamento a certain friction is palpable, immediately sharpening the attention. The long lines of the first violin and the clarinet, like the dark tone colours, are given full scope. De Moed lets the clarinet sing, while the strings support the melodic line and at the same time create a layer of tension of their own. The musicians allow the phrases to resonate calmly, which strengthens the introspective atmosphere of the movement. With their great sensitivity, they make the Lamento an emotional centre of gravity of the work.
In the Scherzo misterioso e passaggio the contemplative mood gives way to a more nervous and restless course. Short musical ideas follow one another and the accents shift, so that the music seems to take a different turn each time. The clarinet comes to the fore here, but blends just as easily back into the strings. The musicians keep this interplay clear and lively and allow the tension to build gradually. Remarkable is the quiet ending, which strongly contrasts with the restlessness that precedes it.
In the Elegia lyricism returns, with a striking solo passage for the cello. Yet the stillness sounds different from that in the Lamento. The dark tone colours give the music a sombre character, while the unrest of the preceding movement remains palpable. Clarinet and strings seek each other out, only to drift apart again. Especially moving is the moment when the clarinet asserts itself and the strings respond. In this way the melancholy remains charged with emotion, and the Elegia becomes more than a merely contemplative resting point.
After the grief of the Lamento and the melancholy of the Elegia, the finale, Impetuoso, takes a different path. The music acquires a pronounced forward drive, forming a powerful counterweight to the more restrained preceding movements. The clarinet sometimes sounds airy and seems to rise above the string ensemble, while the strings, among themselves, seem to debate and then again come to consultation. The clarinet joins that musical conversation, but at other moments steps decisively to the fore. After a deliberately prolonged pause, the stillness briefly returns: the clarinet sounds subdued, carried by the intimate underlayer of the quartet. The contrast between the turbulent passages and these withdrawn moments gives the finale extra relief.
An invitation to keep listening
The recording, made in June 2026 in the Sint-Pieterskerk in Maasmechelen, allows the individual instruments to come fully into their own. For Keuris this is an asset, because the expressive power of his music lies largely in the interplay between the voices and their tone colours. The clarinet retains its own character, yet remains closely interwoven with the string ensemble. Occasionally an incidental sound from one of the musicians can be heard, as at the beginning of the string quartet. It is a small detail that does not fundamentally disturb the listening experience.
In the CD booklet the musicians express the hope that listeners, like themselves, will fall in love with Keuris's chamber music. This recording makes clear why that repertoire deserves more attention. The Animato Quartet and Jelmer de Moed show how Keuris weaves lyricism, obstinacy and a rich palette of tone colours together. Those who know the composer primarily for his orchestral music receive here a convincing introduction to his chamber music. A recording that invites further listening.
