Peter Vermeersch
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Peter Vermeersch (born 1959 in
Waregem Waregem (; ), spelled Waereghem before, is a municipality and city located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality lies in the valley of the river Lys, between Kortrijk and Ghent. It is part of the administrative district of ...
) is a Belgian
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...
,
clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...
player and producer. He is a main character in several Belgian bands such as
X-Legged Sally X-Legged Sally (XLS) is a Belgian avant-garde rock/jazz-band founded in 1988 by composer Peter Vermeersch, and disbanded in 1997. They were one of the first bands from Belgium to combine a set of very different musical styles (jazz, rock, improvi ...
,
A Group The First Professional Football League (), commonly known as Parva Liga or Bulgarian First League (currently known as the efbet League for sponsorship reasons), is a professional association football league in Bulgaria and the highest level of t ...
and the Flat Earth Society. His compositions, balancing between classical, jazz and pop music, are often commissioned for or used by modern dance companies. As a producer he helped to form the first album of Belgium's most prominent indie band
dEUS ''Deus'' (, ) is the Latin word for 'God (word), god' or 'deity'. Latin ''deus'' and ''dīvus'' ('divine') are in turn descended from Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European *''deiwos'', 'celestial' or 'shining', from the same root ( ...
. As such, he is one of the godfathers of the Belgian music scene.


Early career

Vermeersch's formal training include architecture and urbanization, and a modern art course. He soon got involved with music and started composing. In the eighties and early nineties, Vermeersch was part of the post-modern classical ensembles Union and Maximalist! and composed and performed music for dance productions by Rosas and Ultima Vez. He was also a member of the Simpletones and
Kamagurka Luc Zeebroek (born 5 May 1956), better known as Kamagurka, is a Belgium, Belgian cartoonist, playwright, comic strip artist, painter, comedian, comedic singer and television producer, known for the Absurd humor, absurd nature of his work. He cre ...
en the Vlaamse Primitieven. Among his first official compositions is part of the music for the dance production Rosas danst Rosas (1983).


Bands

Because Vermeersch soon grew tired of the constraints imposed by sheet music, he started his own ensemble
X-Legged Sally X-Legged Sally (XLS) is a Belgian avant-garde rock/jazz-band founded in 1988 by composer Peter Vermeersch, and disbanded in 1997. They were one of the first bands from Belgium to combine a set of very different musical styles (jazz, rock, improvi ...
. In a way, XLS was the last Belgian prog-rock band. In another way, it was the first band of the new Belgian scene. Many X-Legged Sally compositions were originally soundtracks to dance performances. X-Legged Sally split up in 1997. Out of the ashes of X-Legged Sally sprung
A Group The First Professional Football League (), commonly known as Parva Liga or Bulgarian First League (currently known as the efbet League for sponsorship reasons), is a professional association football league in Bulgaria and the highest level of t ...
, who have released two CDs and are currently inactive. A Group mixes the creativity of X-Legged Sally with pure and simple pop tunes. Currently Peter Vermeersch's main project is the Flat Earth Society, a big band, led by him, that mixes the rich Belgian brass band (HaFaBra) tradition with characteristic topsy-turvy creativity.


Compositions

As a composer, Peter Vermeersch has his own place among the long list of contemporary Belgian composers, although, due to his lack of formal training and his involvement with pop music, he doesn't necessarily fit in with the likes of Wim Henderickx, Luc Brewaeys or Boudewijn Buckinx. From his early career, Peter Vermeersch has composed music for modern dance productions of renowned Belgian companies such as Rosas and Ultima Vez. Other pieces were composed to accompany theatre plays, such as
Josse De Pauw Josse De Pauw (born 15 March 1952) is a versatile Belgian actor, film director, dramatist, author and columnist. He was married to modern dance performer Fumio Ikeda for over thirty years. Theatre After graduating from the Royal Conservatory i ...
's ''Weg''. Some of the songs of X-Legged Sally have been published as sheet music and performed by contemporary classical ensembles. Apart from these, various ensembles have commissioned compositions, such as a string quartet for Walpurgis and the tone poem 's Nachts brede opklaringen for the Spiegel Strijkkwartet. Major compositions include the oratoria or mini-operas ''Music Hall'' on poems by
Paul van Ostaijen Paul van Ostaijen (22 February 1896 – 18 March 1928) was a Belgian Dutch-language poet and writer. Nickname Van Ostaijen was born in Antwerp to Dutch father and Flemish mother. His nickname was ''Mister 1830'', derived from his habit of walk ...
for Prima la Musica, ''The Soluble Fish'' and ''Charms'' on poems by
Daniil Kharms Daniil Ivanovich Kharms (;  – 2 February 1942) was a Russian avant-gardist and absurdist poet, writer and dramatist in the early Soviet era. Early years Kharms was born as Daniil Yuvachev in Saint Petersburg, then the capital of the Ru ...
, both for Walpurgis. The grand big-band opera ''Heliogabal'' was written for the Ruhr Triennale and performed by the Flat Earth Society. In 2004 he was appointed 'town composer' of
Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...
, a position he used to compose a song for the carillon and for the
Gentse Feesten The Gentse Feesten (; in Ghent dialect ''Gense Fieste''; "Ghent Festival") is an annual music and theatre festival in Ghent, Belgium. Besides stage events, there are street acts such as mimes and buskers. It has been held for more than 50 years ...
(performed by
Kamagurka Luc Zeebroek (born 5 May 1956), better known as Kamagurka, is a Belgium, Belgian cartoonist, playwright, comic strip artist, painter, comedian, comedic singer and television producer, known for the Absurd humor, absurd nature of his work. He cre ...
).


Discography

This discography does not include the recordings by the bands Peter Vermeersch has played in or has written music for. * Rosas danst Rosas (1983) * Immer das Selbe Gelogen (1991) * Music Hall (1996) * De Oplosbare Vis (1996) * Weg (1999) * Charms (2000)


Works


Music for theatre and dance

* Echafaudages (Radeis, with Union, 1981) * Rosas danst rosas (with Thierry De Mey, Anne-Theresa Dekeersmaecker & Rosas, 1983) * Usurpation (Josse De Pauw, 1985) * What the body does not remember (with Thierry De Mey, Wim Vandekeybus & Ultima Vez, 1987) * Ward Comblez, he do the life in three voices (Josse De Pauw, 1989) * Le poids de la main - live music (with Thierry De Mey, Wim Vandekeybus & Ultima Vez, 1990) * Immer dasselbe gelogen (Wim Vandekeybus & Ultima Vez, 1991) * Her body doesn't fit her soul (Wim Vandekeybus & Ultima Vez, 1993) * Mountains made of barking (Wim Vandekeybus & Ultima Vez, 1994) * De oplosbare vis/The Soluble Fish (Walpurgis ensemble, 1996) * Music-Hall, song cycle on poems by Paul Van Ostaijen (chamber orchestra, soprano and baritone, 1996) * Bereft of a blissful union - live music (Wim Vandekeybus & Ultima Vez, 1996) * Oorsmeersessions (for Flat Earth Society and circus artists, 1997) * Charms - Song-cycle on poems by Daniil Charms (accordion, percussion, clarinet, soprano) (November 1997) * Trage Kogels/Slow Bullets (Nieuwpoorttheater, theater Antigone & theater Zuidpool, 2000) * Weg (Josse De Pauw, 1999) * Larf (Josse De Pauw, 2000) * Heliogabal (big-band opera, 2003) * Mé Gusta (Laika Antwerpen 2008)


Music for movies

* De stille oceaan/The Pacific Ocean (Digna Sinke, 1984) * De tocht/The Journey (live music on short film by Hendrickx-Dehollander) * The way of the weed ("Digital Dancefilm" by Misotten-Quirijnen-Lambrechts) * Vinaya (De Pauw - Van Kraaij, 1992) * Brussels Midnight (Van den Berghe, 1998) * Brasschaet (film by Jules Van Volxem, 1932, composition 1998) * '' Undercover Kitty'' (Vincent Bal, 2001) * De Oesterprinses/The Oyster Princess (film by Ernst Lubitsch, 191; composition, 2005)


Music for music

* X pieces for small orchestra (chamber orchestra) * 3 or 2 portraits of a drowning person (string quartet) * Doppler quintet (string quartet & clarinet, 1992) * Rain brings back the dust * Wegener quartet (string trio & clarinet) * Für Rumpelstilzchen (ensemble for Champ d'Action, 1993) * The purple cucumber (1995) * We beginnen vanaf maat 158 (8 tuba's & piccolo) * Slow surfer on a turd stream (Instant Composing piece for 17 musicians, for November music) * Stukken (string quartet, for De Singel/Arditi String Quartet) * November Music International (March, the Harelbeke Brass Band) * 's Nachts Brede Opklaringen (String quartet, Spiegel Strijkkwartet)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vermeersch, Peter 1959 births Living people 20th-century Belgian composers 21st-century Belgian composers Belgian classical clarinetists Belgian classical composers Belgian jazz clarinetists Belgian jazz composers Belgian jazz bandleaders Belgian big band bandleaders Belgian film score composers Belgian male film score composers Belgian record producers People from Waregem 21st-century clarinetists 21st-century male musicians X-Legged Sally members