Wim Mertens Ensemble

Ranges Of Robustness

Greenhouse Talent

Wed 11.12

20:00 - 22:00

De Vooruit, Gent

THEATERZAAL

Past event

Sound support

Sennheiser's Mobile Connect system allows you to amplify the performance audio yourself via your smartphone or hearing aid by scanning a QR code at the entrance.

With his new album “Ranges of Robustness” under his belt, composer Wim Mertens will tour this December. The tour named after the album focuses on new and older work.

As a composer, Wim Mertens has been camping in the absolute top of contemporary classical music for several decades. Beyond that, in addition to being a singer - with his distinctive countertenor - he is also an outstanding pianist, guitarist and violinist with more than 70 albums under his belt. After the particularly tasteful and successful 'Inescapable Tour' with which he celebrated 40 years (1980 - 2020) of composition, in 2023 followed the also with open arms received 'Voice of the Living Tour,' an ode to the victims and soldiers of World War I. On his new album, “Ranges of Robustness,” Mertens is accompanied by his wind ensemble. Furthermore, he presents live a program with songs like 'Far,' 'The Scene' or the world-famous 'Struggle For Pleasure,' as well as recent pieces like 'Glossary Raisonné,' 'On The Zephyrous Peak' and 'Sappho.

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Mertens began his professional journey as a musicologist and radio producer, but soon grew into a distinctive, internationally renowned composer. His first release in 1980, For Amusement Only, was based solely on the sounds of pinball machines. His minimalist yet always melodically rich work was further showcased in At Home-Not At Home (1981), Vergessen (1982), Struggle For Pleasure (1983), and Maximizing The Audience (1984).

His versatility as a composer, writing for diverse ensembles—from solo voice to symphony orchestra has been heard on international stages across Europe, North and Central America, Japan, and Thailand. This was beautifully encapsulated in Inescapable (2019), a limited edition box set summarizing his four-decade career. Mertens also made his mark in the theater and film worlds, such as with Peter Greenaway's The Belly of an Architect (1986), where his innovative and experimental spirit, while still accessible, shines both on record and live on stage.