Wim Mertens (BE)
From Neerpelt
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About
Wim Mertens is a Flemish composer, countertenor, pianist, guitarist and musicologist from Neerpelt, Belgium, whose work sits at the intersection of minimalism and melodic invention. He first made a name for himself with "Struggle for Pleasure" and "Maximizing the Audience", the latter written for Jan Fabre's theatrical piece The Power of Theatrical Madness, which premiered in Venice in 1984. His voice is immediately distinctive: a high pitched tenor singing in a personal, invented language over haunting keyboard lines. With more than 60 albums to his name, most of them released through Les Disques du Crépuscule, Mertens has carved out three recognisable threads in his output: ensemble compositions, solo piano and voice work, and experimental minimalist cycles for small combinations of instruments. His music has found its way into films by Peter Greenaway and Paul Cox, and he wrote the book American Minimal Music, a study of La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Philip Glass.
