Joey Roukens

(Schiedam, 1982)

Fred van Diem

Fred van Diem

Music is one large embrace of styles and genres for the Dutch composer Joey Roukens. In that respect, he does not impose limits on himself and detests the intellectual straitjacket of the avant-garde. Pop rhythms pound in harmony with Mahler-like adagios and he connects the different worlds with a seemingly effortless lightness of touch.

Roukens: “We live in a time that is completely dominated by pop music. You cannot escape that, also not as a classical composer. The thing I love about pop music is its physical immediacy and how it is able to reflect our times. It seems like contemporary classical music is trapped in an isolated chamber, disconnected from the times in which we are now living. Classical music has degenerated into a cultural ghetto. It would be healthy if there was more interaction with popular culture.”

When asked why he did not actually become a pop musician, Roukens answers: “Ultimately, I love the Western tradition of Beethoven, Mahler, Stravinsky and Sibelius the most. I draw most intellectual and emotional satisfaction from that. I am searching for a way to combine both worlds in my own music. Moreover, the orchestra is one of my favourite mediums to compose for. The enormous abundance of colours, possibilities and emotional scope cannot be found anywhere else.”

His recent works include the violin concerto Roads to Everywhere for violinist Joe Puglia and Asko|Schönberg, and the orchestral work Morphic Waves, which will first be performed by the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marc Albrecht in June 2016.

www.joeyroukens.com