Hartmut Haenchen conducted NNO in 'Soundscape and Toccata' - great reviews!

On Thursday February 27th, Hartmut Haenchen and the NNO premiered my 'Soundscape and Toccata', in Leeuwarden (De Harmonie), after which successful concerts in Utrecht (TivoliVredenburg, live on NPO4 Radio) and Groningen (De Oosterpoort) followed. Four reviews sofar breathe general acclaim!

"Hoekstra effortlessly joins the Great Ones.", and "Beautiful how excellently Hoekstra writes for orchestra."

~ Friesch Dagblad, Dingeman van Wijnen-Klapwijk, March 1st 2025

“Praise!”, “Overwhelming opening”, “Pleasant in tone”, “Beautiful depictions of sound clouds”,“Relaxing to listen to and interesting to watch”, and “Certainly entertaining”.

— De Nieuwe Muze, Peter Schlamilch, March 3, 2025

"A unique and cinematic experience" where "each note is an essential part of the larger whole."

Soundscape and Toccata "marks an important moment in the Dutch music scene. Hoekstra's promising composition leaves a lasting impression and opens new doors for contemporary classical music." ~ Nieuws.nl, March 1st 2025 "Cinematic soundscapes" "Transparent overall sound"

~ Leeuwarder Courant and Dagblad van het Noorden, Rudolf Nammensma, March 1st 2025

Please read full text in English below! The live concert on Dutch radio can be found via this link. NB Concert starting at 16 minutes and 40 seconds

FULL TEXT IN ENGLISH CONCERNING 'SOUNDSCAPE AND TOCCATA'

Frisian Composer Sipke Hoekstra Effortlessly Joins the Great Ones A world premiere by a Frisian composer was on the agenda for Thursday evening at De Harmonie with the Noord Nederlands Orkest. Soundscape and Toccata for Orchestra by Sipke Hoekstra. Already characteristic of Hoekstra’s work: a contemporary concept like 'soundscape' paired with a solid historical music term like 'toccata'. When thinking of a soundscape, one might think of electronics or blocks of sound, not necessarily melodic music. Hoekstra (Leeuwarden, 1976) immediately sets the listener on the right path, yet also slightly misleads them. For the groups of three notes that characterise the first section of his piece provide a sound landscape, but there is still certainly an underlying build-up towards melodies. The large orchestra references late classical and early modern examples, and with his piece, Hoekstra seamlessly integrates into a programme that after the break featured a Brahms symphony. This was also true for the toccata, with its strong but not extreme rhythm. It was beautiful to see how excellently Hoekstra writes for orchestra, with, for example, a harp that didn’t sink into the mass, as often happens, but took the lead beautifully several times.

~Friesch Dagblad, Dingeman van Wijnen-Klapwijk, March 1st 2025 Praise! The opening of the concert was quite overwhelming: the Soundscape and Toccata by the Frisian composer Sipke Hoekstra (1976), who claims to be self-taught, and "tries to translate the sounds of the synthesizer into the classical symphony orchestra." Aside from the question of why you would want to do that, it resulted in an – indeed – overwhelming, very dissonant opening minute, thankfully quickly followed by, as the title promises, a sort of soundscape that was pleasant in tone and in which the enormously expanded NNO presented beautiful depictions of sound clouds, relaxing to listen to, and interesting to watch (the percussionists were busy with string bows). The following Toccata turned out, according to the excellently prepared program booklet, to consist of complicated tone sequences, but fortunately, the listeners had little trouble with that: a cheerful, rhythmic, at times big band-like composition unfolded, with many thematic twists, most of which, upon first listening, had little to do with each other, and fluttered through the hall a little too much like loose sand. But it was certainly entertaining, and it is a great compliment that an orchestra like the NNO (local) can commission compositions in times of limited cultural resources. Praise!— ~De Nieuwe Muze, Peter Schlamilch, March 3rd, 2025 Premiere of Soundscape and Toccata by Sipke Hoekstra

During a captivating evening at the Noord Nederlands Orkest in Leeuwarden, the long-awaited premiere of the new composition by the talented composer Sipke Hoekstra took place. The piece, titled Soundscape and Toccata, was performed with masterful precision by the full orchestra under the direction of the renowned guest conductor Hartmut Haenchen.

A Cinematic Sonic Experience Soundscape and Toccata offers a unique and cinematic experience for the audience, where Hoekstra's musical talent and creativity come to life. The composition takes listeners on a journey of emotions and imagination, where each note is an essential part of the larger whole.[...]

Final Thoughts The premiere of Soundscape and Toccata with the Noord Nederlands Orkest marks an important moment in the Dutch music scene. Hoekstra’s promising composition leaves a lasting impression and opens new doors for contemporary classical music.

~Nieuws.nl, March 1st 2025

Sipke Hoekstra’s Cinematic Soundscapes Soundscape and Toccata for Orchestra. This is the composition by Sipke Hoekstra, born and raised in Leeuwarden, which premiered during this concert with a full Noord Nederlands Orkest under its regular guest conductor Hartmut Haenchen. What makes the work unique is that it originated on a synthesiser. Only later did Hoekstra adapt it for an orchestral performance. This new composition begins with ethereal woodwind sounds that create delicate threads, with some sections attaching and detaching. A transparent overall sound emerges, interwoven with the illusion of a distant tolling bell. Hammering sounds dispel this peaceful image. A music box occasionally appears, only to be quickly displaced by pounding timpani, mild strings, and punchy brass. After eight minutes, the toccata breaks off. This cinematic music can be described as abstract but, as I experienced it, it also depicts an approaching calamity, or at least serves as a warning of one. It could be considered to further develop this composition, giving it more relief and length.

~Leeuwarder Courant and Dagblad van het Noorden, Rudolf Nammensma, March 1st 2025