POLO DE HAAS

Polo de Haas

“Pianist and composer Polo de Haas is an all-round musician who moves with ease from one genre to the next, be it new music, classical music or jazz” (De Gooi en Eemlander, 2000). He is an advocate of contemporary music and a “musical chameleon” (de Volkskrant, 2005). Many composers have ...
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Instruments

componist, piano

Mentioned in the biography of

1955   Robert Nasveld
1972   Harry Sparnaay
1991   Leo van Oostrom
2011   Greetje Bijma
2016   Tomoko Mukaiyama
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Biography Polo de Haas

“Pianist and composer Polo de Haas is an all-round musician who moves with ease from one genre to the next, be it new music, classical music or jazz” (De Gooi en Eemlander, 2000). He is an advocate of contemporary music and a “musical chameleon” (de Volkskrant, 2005). Many composers have dedicated works to him. Since the 1960s, De Haas has had a duo with the jazz drummer Pierre Courbois. He also regularly performs with the voice artist Greetje Bijma. Polo de Haas is a specialist in the music of Simeon ten Holt and has participated in many recordings of it. He presents an annual multi-genre concert series (the Polo de Haas Series). De Haas also composes. “My career is a bridge between extremes”. (NRC Handelsblad, “Polo de Haas over de kloof”, 1995). De Haas has performed recitals in Eastern and Western Europe, Japan, Canada, Korea, Cuba and the United States.

1959 - 1960

Polo de Haas (1933) studies piano at the Amsterdam Conservatory with Jan Odé where he graduates cum laude. He continues his studies with Jacques Février in Paris and Eduardo del Pueyo in Brussels. The Amsterdam Concertgebouw awards him the Zilveren Vriendenkrans.

1962 - 1964

Polo de Haas wins first prize at the ICC Piano Competition in Amsterdam. He performs Maurice Ravel's 'Piano Concerto in G' with the Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink and tours the Netherlands with most of the major Dutch orchestras. After, he continues his studies with Jacques Fëvrier in Paris and Eduardo del Pueyo in Brussels.

Bernard Haitink

1964

De Haas returns to the Netherlands, and Ramses Shaffy asks him to be the accompanist in a new sort of presentation, Shaffy Chantant. There, De Haas plays the music of (contemporary) Dutch composers such as Léon Orthel, Willem Pijper, and Alphons Stallaert as well as his own music. In addition, he introduces the music of Erik Satie in the Netherlands.

Ramses Shaffy Willem Pijper

1970

With the singer Dora Jannakopoulou, he performs songs of the resistance by political prisoner and composer Mikis Theodorakis.

1971

De Haas gives a Satie recital in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. In the following years the music of Erik Satie gains unprecedented popularity.

1972

De Haas and Harry Sparnaay perform under the name Fusion Moderne at the Gaudeamus Competition. They are awarded a special prize and are so well appreciated that composers around the world begin writing for them. With Theo Loevendie, De Haas establishes the Stichting Alternatieve MuziekPraktijk (STAMP) [Foundation for Alternative Musical Practice], which organizes groundbreaking concerts in the Felix Meritis concert hall in Amsterdam.

Harry Sparnaay

1973

The music publisher Donemus brings out an edition of De Haas' composition 'Pinoa'.

1974

De Haas reaches a wider audience in the Netherlands by presenting the VARA television programme Spelen met Muziek [Playing with Music].

1975

He composes 'Orgella', for two pianos eight hands, on a commission from the Utrecht Conservatory. The Orgella piano quartet, including De Haas, which was formed to play the piece, stays together for some time. Theo Loevendie, Jacques Bank, Robert Nasveld and others write for the quartet.

Jacques Bank Robert Nasveld Theo Loevendie

1980

After a period of scarcely playing the piano, De Haas experiments with electro-instrumental music in coordination with the Steim Foundation and creates with the composer Peter Schat the piece 'Koenloen', on a poem by Mao Zedong. He often performs in the Netherlands and abroad with the Amsterdams Elektrisch Circus.

Peter Schat

1983

De Haas plays with Pierre Courbois and Leo van Oostrom at the North Sea Jazz Festival.

Leo van Oostrom Pierre Courbois

1988

After recording Simeon ten Holt's 'Horizon', the piano quartet of De Haas, Yoko Abe, Margaret Krill and Fred Oldenburg remain together as the Horizon Kwartet.

Simeon ten Holt

1990

De Haas tours Canada, performing mostly his own music. He tours in the Netherlands with the (music) theatre company Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

1994

He organizes the first of his annual concert series that presents classical, contemporary, improvised and non-Western music together with poetry, film, dance, the graphic arts and expositions at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam.

1994

He participates in the School der Poëzie Foundation's theatre programme Poëzierevue [Poetry Revue], an upbeat theatrical presentation for youths with poetry, breakdance, rap, and music.

1995

He begins working on a series presenting music and poetry, Poëzie in Groeneveld at the Groeneveld Castle in Baarn. The poets who participate include Remco Campert, J. Bernlef, and Jan Wolkers.

1996

In recognition of his contribution to Dutch music, De Haas is made a Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

2000

Jazz Nu writes about De Haas en Courbois' CD 'Gong': “This is jazz: two musicians who along the musical path flirt, love, spark, reject, and embrace each other. (…) De Haas is a master of suggestion and mood, and Courbois' drum rolls add to the intensity”.

2001

De Haas' CD with Kees Wieringa of Simeon ten Holt's 'Canto Ostinato' wins gold.

Kees Wieringa

2005

A German musicologist discovers a previously unknown work by J.S. Bach in a birthday poem: the aria 'Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn' Ihn', from 1713. De Haas records the music with the soprano Claron McFadden.

2007

He makes programmes titled 'Muziek en Poëzie' with Pierre Courbois and actress Kitty Courbois.

2009

De Haas returns to the North Sea Jazz Festival with Pierre Courbois. Steinway honours him as a Steinway Artist. His yearly concert series is now held in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.

Photos Polo de Haas

Audio/Video Polo de Haas