Johan S. Riphagen
Lives in Vaucluse, France
I was born in 1961, in a family with a broad musical tradition. My grandfather, for instance, was composer, conductor and harpsichord player and, as a specialist of the music of Bach, the first in Holland to investigate the so-called original interpretation of baroque music.
When I was 14 years old, my composition for piano 4-hands won a prize in a competition. After a study of physics and philosophy I decided to attend the conservatorium and to become a conductor. Among my teachers are Barend Schuurman, Jan Boogaerts, Antoni Ros-Marb?, Ed Spanjaard and the late Sergiu Celibidache, who had a deep influence on my conception of music. The profound study of many scores awakened in me again the need for composing. Almost immediatly after entering the conservatorium I started to compose for the ensembles I was conducting and performed them on various occasions.
As a choirconductor I am specialized in writing compositions for choir, but chambermusic for all kinds of instruments and orchestral pieces are also on the list of my compositions. My chief interest is combining the powerfull and direct impact sound can have on the human soul with a structure that gives it a meaning. In this investigation Bartok is a great example.
Three of my compositions are recorded by a professional ensemble and available on CD. (“Xrysostomos”, Emergo Classics EC 3936-2) |
