Concert on four grand pianos

Oldenburg piano quartet "Tastissimo" plays Simeon ten Holt's "Canto Ostinato".

The Oldenburg piano quartet "Tastissimo", led by piano teacher Christiane Abt, invites you to a special concert experience at the University of Oldenburg: On Sunday, 26 April, 5.00 pm, four grand pianos will be arranged in a star shape in the middle of the university's auditorium (Haarentor campus, building A11). "Tastissimo" will play "Canto Ostinato - the eternal song", a composition by the Dutch composer Simeon ten Holt. The special thing about it: Visitors can listen to the concert sitting or lying down, depending on their preference.

Simeon ten Holt is one of the best-known and most frequently performed contemporary composers in the Netherlands. "Canto Ostinato" was composed between 1973 and 1976 and has enjoyed cult status in the Netherlands for several years. One of the many recordings was awarded a gold disc - a very rare honour for a contemporary work.

Ten Holt offers the performers a musical path that they can shape with great freedom. As a result, there is neither a fixed duration for Canto nor a prescribed instrumentation. "Canto is in no hurry", as the composer emphasises. And every performance is a unique sound journey for both the musicians and the audience. "It is music that is not aimed at a specific audience," explains Christiane Abt, "quite the opposite: 'Canto Ostinato' also appeals to an audience that does not usually engage with classical music."

Admission is free. Visitors should bring blankets or mats if required.

The piano ensemble "Tastissimo" was formed in 2006 out of the musicians' desire to work together creatively - far removed from the usual solo role of a pianist. It is dedicated to original literature for several hands from the fields of early modernism, tango and global postmodernism. The current line-up consists of Christiane Abt (University of Oldenburg), Ruth Ense (Music School of the City of Oldenburg), Gabriele Hoeltzenbein (church musician) and Ronald Poelman (freelance piano teacher and composer).