Luc Van Hove

Luc Van Hove (born 1957, Wilrijk, Belgium) is a Belgian composer of contemporary classical music.

Biography

Luc Van Hove received his musical training at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp. He studied composition with Willem Kersters and music analysis with August Verbesselt. Afterwards he pursued advanced studies at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg (orchestral conducting) and at the University of Surrey. He has gained several awards, including the Sabam Prize for Serious Music (1993).

He is an honorary professor of composition and music analysis at Luca, School of Arts, campus Lemmensinstituut of Leuven and former professor of composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp, department of the AP-Hogeschool. He is also a former extraordinary professor at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo, member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Sciences and Arts of Belgium, and Commander in the Order of Léopold the Second. He has been commissioned by major organisers and performers.

Music

His works include symphonic settings, chamber music, works for solo instruments, and choral works. Commissioned by the Vlaamse Opera, he wrote the opera La Strada, after Federico Fellini's film of the same name. In 2012, his symphonic adaptation of a youth opera by César Franck, Stradella, received its world premiere by the Opéra Royal de Wallonie.

His compositions show a preference for absolute and instrumental music, and interest in traditional genres such as the sonata, concerto, string quartet, and symphony. Traditional genres and forms are combined with an interest in quickly evolving, dense textures. Composers such as György Ligeti, Béla Bartók, and Wítold Lutoslawski had a noticeable influence on his musical style.

In general, techniques of variation and thematic development occupy a central role in Van Hove's music. Typically, whole movements or even entire compositions are constructed out of the constant variation and thematic reworking of one limited pitch collection, which is stated at the beginning of a piece, creating a strong harmonic coherence. According to Van Hove, his "ultimate goal is to create exciting music, by building up logical and coherent networks of basically harmonic relationships, in which every second of the music can either point back or forth to other moments of the piece."

Van Hove's works are published by Donemus.

Works

Vocal: Nacht-stilte voor gemengd koor op. 7 (1981); Twee liederen voor bariton en piano op. 8 (1981); Drie liederen voor sopraan en klarinettenkwartet op. 12 (1983); Trois Poèmes de Paul Verlaine voor sopraan, koor en kamerorkest op. 14 (1984); Four Sacred Songs op. 42 voor gemengd koor (2003); Psalm 22 (2-22) voor gemengd koor op. 44 (2004); La Strada: opera in twee bedrijven op. 45 (2007), orchestration of Stradella (2011): youth opera of César Franck;  Cantico di Frate sole opus 51 (2014) (chamber choir and cello solo); Cantata opus 54 (2017) (choir and orchestra), Two War Songs opus 55 (2017) (bariton and piano quintet; also bariton and piano)

Orchestral: Divertimento voor slagwerkorkest op. 5 (1980); Largo per orchestra op. 13 (1984); Scherzo op. 16 (1985); Carnaval op het strand op. 17 (1985); Elise’s Dance voor orkest op. 21 (1987); Eerste Symfonie op. 25 (1989); Stacked Time. Concerto voor elektrische gitaar op. 26 (1990); Triptiek. Concerto voor hobo op. 29 (1993); Concerto voor piano op. 32 (1995); Strings op. 33 (1997); Tweede Symfonie op. 34 (1997); Kammerkonzert voor cello en ensemble op. 36 (1998); Derde Symfonie op. 39 (2001); Diabelli Veränderung op. 43 (2004), La Sfida op. 47 (2010), Pianoconcerto II op. 48 (2010); Chamber Symphony op. 49 (2012); Symphonic Music I opus 56 (2019) (parts I, II, III of symphony IV); Symphony IV opus 56 (2019)

Ensemble and Chamber Music: Trio op. 1 nr.1 (1977); Klarinetkwintet op. 1 nr. 2 (1977); Vijf Preludiën op. 2 (1979); Prelude en toccata voor slagwerk en piano op. 6 (1981); Tema con variazioni voor ensemble van 13 instrumenten op. 9 (1981); Kwintet voor houtblazers op. 10 (1982); Sonatine voor piano op. 11 (1982); Three Guildford dances op. 19 (1986); Five inventions voor piano op. 20 (1987); Two pieces for three trumpets op. 22 (1988); Dansen voor vier handen op. 23 (1988); Septet op. 24 (1988); Sonate voor cello en piano op. 27 (1991); Aria voor cello op. 28 (1992); Strijkkwartet op. 30 (1994); Nonet op. 31 (1994); Le vieux port de Marseille voor klarinet en piano op. 35 (1998); Klarinetkwintet op. 37 (1999); Modo perpetuo voor cello op. 38 (2000); Piano Quartet op. 40 (2002); Haydn-Veränderung op. 41 (for string quartet) (2003), Octet op. 46 (2009), Triptiek II voor viool en piano opus 50 (2013); Percussion Trio opus 52 (2015); Piano Trio opus 57 (2020); Triptiek opus 29 bis (2021) (oboe and piano); Tre Pezzi per Archi opus 58 (2021) (string orchestra)

Revisions: Divertimento opus 5 (revised) (2014); Triptiek: concerto voor hobo en orkest opus 29 (revised) (2014), revision II (2022); Pianoconcerto I opus 32 (revised) (2014); Kammerkonzert opus 36 (revised) (2015); Haydn Veränderung opus 41 (for string quartet) (revised) (2021); Triptiek voor hobo en orkest opus 29 (revision II) (2022)

The following works have been published by Donemus: opus 50, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56 (both versions), 57, 29 bis, en 58. Soon to be published: Haydn Veränderung opus 41 (for string quartet) (revised) (2021) and Triptiek voor hobo en orkest opus 29 (Revision II) (2022).

References

• Weytjens, S. Luc Van Hove: Compositions for Symphonic Orchestra (liner notes to CD). Megadisc, 2001.
• Van Hove Luc (1957) - MATRIX [New Music Centre] (matrix-new-music.be)

External links

• HOVE, Luc Van - maintained by the Belgian Centre for Music Documentation
• Luc Van Hove - page at the Flanders Music Centre website