Anthonie Jansen van Rensburg (b. 1998)
List of Works
Instrumentation: Alto Saxophone and Piano
Instrumentation: Orchestral work
Duration: 6:00
Premier information: Premiered 4 March 2022. Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. Hugo Lamprechts Music Centre. For the Inaugural South African Composers’ Competition.
Programmatic information: (Provided by the composer)
Lagging in the Shallow Water is a symphonic tone poem based on the poem Yzerfontein,
2018 by Zian Viviers (shown below), which was published in the 2019 ‘Penseel’ anthology.
You will see some of the phrases in the poem below are in bold. These phrases were used to
generate the material for this piece by recording a reading of the poem (in Afrikaans) and
dictating the rhythms of the bold phrases. A “mood” was then assigned to each of the phrases.
By combining the “moods” and rhythms, each of these phrases were transformed into the main themes of the symphonic poem. Each of the main themes are sequentially introduced and slightly elaborated on. The work builds to a climax in which all the themes are present, and then suddenly drops away to almost nothing. This emulates the pain and sense of loss
that I interpret from the poem.
Yzerfontein, 2018
my oë glinster harlekyn skub op die sandbank,
jy anemoon jou lippe teen myne,
ek swen jou in vir ‘n oopbeksoen,
jy vou my in jou mukus
en beskerm my in jou tentakels.
vyf maande later
stap ek vroegoggend op die strand
verby rotse, oor stinkende mosselskulpe,
verby ‘n walvislyk wat talm in die vlakwater
en ek dink aan jou antwoord, so koud
soos wekuswaters oor die gehoorstuk
vlek jy my oop soos ‘n vis.
Translation:
Your eyes glitter Harlequin-scale on the sandbank,
you anemone your lips against mine,
I’m swimming you in for a French-kiss,
you fold me in your mucus
and protect me in your tentacles.
Five months later
I’m walking on the beach early-morning
past boulders and stinking mussel-shells,
past the corpse of a whale that’s lagging in the shallow water
and I’m thinking of your answer, so cold
like the West-Coast’s water over the earpiece
you gut me like a fish.
About the Composer...
Anthonie started taking lessons for classical flute at the age of nine. From the age of 13 he started pursuing rock and ‘folk’ genres with drums, guitar, and singing. During these formative years he developed a love for a diverse range of genres and approaches to music.
In his undergraduate (Higher CertMus and BMus) studies he received classical flute and conducting training from Professor Corvin Matei, composition and orchestration from Arthur Feder and Dr. Antoni Schonken, and jazz improvisation training from Ramon Alexander. He is currently pursuing a MMus in Composition at the University of Stellenbosch in which he explores musical expression and embodiment as a composer and performer.
Although Anthonie has been “composing” since childhood, he only began taking it seriously in the course of his undergraduate studies. During this time he explored various ensembles and styles; including graphic scoring, free interpretation and improvisation, and electronic or mixed media.
Anthonie is interested in exploring what it means to be a composer and musician in practical, freeing, and fun ways.