Joseph Van Wissem (NL)

Doors: 19:00

Jozef Van Wissem has been called “arguably the world's most famous lutenist” by The Quietus.

He is an avant-garde composer and lutenist, who plays on a unique, all-black baroque lute. His timeless music is often described as hypnotic, minimalist and mood-saturated in a haunting way where beauty merges with a dark, meditative expression. His lyrics have a mythic Christian appeal and revolve around themes such as love, faith and the afterlife, often with a repeating, mantra-like character.

Since studying lute with Patrick O'Brien in New York in the 1990s, Van Wissem has created works that are as rooted in the classical lute traditions of the Renaissance and Baroque as they are in the contemporary sound universe of drones, electronics and field recordings. Add inspiration from the no wave and industrial scenes and a consistent minimalist approach, and the result is a distinctive and unmistakable artistic expression. His music often unites opposites: it is both meditative and intense, innovative and at the same time imbued with a sense of the archaic.