A concert profile of American minimalist composer Tom Johnson (1939), a composer who belongs to a rich tradition of artists, from Marcel Duchamp through John Cage, who prefer ‘finding’ to ‘creating’. In Johnson’s case, a surprising musical beauty is found in the regularity, logic and symmetry of pre-existing mathematical structures. A clarity of texture, an ear for transparent harmony and a preference for simple and elegant rhythmical designs are more than mere characteristics of Johnson’s sound world, they are structural determinants that drive the forms themselves.
Works
Performances
- Korzo, The Hague, The Hague (30 Nov 2007)
- Lichtenberg, Maastricht, Maastricht (6 Jun 2008)
- Lichtenberg, Maastricht, Maastricht (7 Jun 2008)
- Lichtenberg, Maastricht, Maastricht (8 Jun 2008)
- Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain (15 Feb 2010)
- Orgelpark, Amsterdam (13 Mar 2010)
- Paradiso, Amsterdam (10 Sep 2010)