Metropolis Ensemble, Erik Hall, Sandbox Percussion Present a Cinematic and Emotionally Rich Version of Simeon ten Holt’s “Canto Ostinato Sections 74-87”

Metropolis Ensemble, Erik Hall, Sandbox Percussion, photos courtesy the artists

Metropolis Ensemble’s Andrew Cyr, Erik Hall and members of Sandbox Percussion are set to release their version of Dutch composer Simeon ten Holt’s landmark 1976 piece Canto Ostinato via Western Vinyl on April 3, 2026. But for now you can take in an granular level of composition and energetic performance of the “Canto Ostinato Sections 74-87” from the newly rendered work. This portion of the recording highlights the dramatic, cinematic and expressive aspects of ten Holt’s original and the collaborators’ attention to the finer details of the performance that build from smaller components into a dynamic and nuanced, vibrant emotional whole with an ebb and a flow like life itself. What emerges in the listening is how the work allows for individual expression interweave with those of all the players in an organic manner that heightens the contributions of all into a larger whole like a collective, intuitive form of performance that strikes the listener in a similar fashion, a sort of collaborative feeling of a sense of something bigger. Listen to “Canto Ostinato Sections 74-87” on YouTube and follow the artists at the links below.

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Erik Hall’s Interpretation of Simeon ten Hold’s “Canto Ostinato Sections 74-87” Adds Soothing Textures to the Entrancing Minimalism and Energy of the Original

Erik Hall, photo courtesy the artist

Erik Hall’s interpretation of Simeon ten Holt’s “Canto Ostinato Sections 74-87” has a very live and spontaneous sound. The original Canto Ostinato was written for four pianos from 1976 to 1979 has a certain lively energy that runs through the marathon composition. It is a fine example of Twentieth Century minimalism with the shifting tonal harmonies but without the the slide into dissonance. Hall captures the easy yet irresistible pace and seemingly over the top of the relaxing sounds of a flowing creek to give what might be an ethereal work of richly details sonics playing out in an ever-evolving manner as per the aesthetics of minimalism. Listen to “Canto Ostinato Sections 74-87” on YouTube and follow Erik Hall at the links below. Hall’s full treatment of Canto Ostinato released on February 24, 2023 on Western Vinyl available on multiple formats on Bandcamp linked below as well.

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