ANP Productions | Source: ANP
Yesterday at 12:34
Breukelen
Composer and pianist Laurens van Rooyen died on Thursday at the age of 88 in his home in Breukelen. The chairman of his management, the Imaginary Landscapes Foundation, reported this on Friday, partly on behalf of Van Rooyen’s family. The composer died “unexpectedly”, the foundation said in a statement.
The pianist graduated from the Utrecht Conservatory, where he met fellow student Herman van Veen. In 1966 they founded the Harlekijn Music Theater together, where they performed with self-composed songs.
Van Rooyen composed many piano pieces and also wrote music for films, such as A woman like Eva (1979), Lieve boys (1980), A flight of curlews (1981) and Eline Vere (1991). He released dozens of albums. His best-known songs are Just a Simple Lovesong and Imaginary Landscapes, with which he also made an international splash.
Winged Friends
He also formed the Winged Friends company with pianist Louis van Dijk and Pieter van Vollenhoven, among others, with whom he performed more than 45 times.
In recent years, Van Rooyen has mainly given concerts at special events, in theaters or in castles. Every year he gave a series of summer concerts on the Vecht in the Koetshuis on the Zadelhoff estate in Breukelen. The 23rd edition of the concert series would take place next summer, it says on its website.
Benefit concert
A benefit concert with Van Rooyen was planned for Friday evening in the Petrus en Pauluskerk in Soest to raise money for musical instruments for the Bachschool Soest.
