Guy Van Nueten Explained

Guy Van Nueten
Birth Date:	1965 7, df=yes
Birth Place:	Turnhout, Belgium
Instrument:	piano, organ, synthesizer
Genre:	Contemporary classical music
Occupation:	Composer, pianist, record producer
Years Active:	1995–present
Label:	62TV Records, Megadisc Classics, Universal Records, Sony Classical Records
Associated Acts:	dEUS, Admiral Freebee, Zita Swoon, Magnus, Tim Vanhamel, DAAN
Website:	http://www.guyvannueten.com/

Guy Van Nueten (born July 25, 1965, in Turnhout, Belgium) is a Belgian composer, pianist and record producer.

Life and career

Van Nueten began playing the piano at the age of four when his mother enrolled him in the local music school. He learned to read music before learning to read words. In his teenage years, he developed an interest in pop and rock music, and after completing his studies in mathematical economics, he fully committed to a career in music.^[1]

In the early years of his career, Van Nueten was a member of the band The Sands,^[2] whose self-titled debut album was produced by Bill Janovitz of the American band Buffalo Tom and released worldwide by Universal Records. The band toured Europe, including performances with John Cale. Van Nueten wrote The Sands' notable track "April and June," which became a staple on Belgian radio and frequently appeared on "Top 100 Belgian Songs of All Time" lists.

In 1998, Van Nueten decided to shift his musical focus and enrolled at a conservatory to study composition and harmony. Under the guidance of internationally renowned pedagogue Jacques De Tiège, he refined his piano skills.^[1]

Van Nueten has composed music for film directors, theater productions, and choreographers. His compositions have been featured in productions by prominent Benelux theaters, including Toneelhuis, Toneelgroep Amsterdam, Les Ballets C de la B, and HETPALEIS. In 2005, he composed the musical Soepkinders. He has also composed for films by directors such as Koen Mortier (Ex Drummer^[3]) and Alex Stockman (Eva,^[4] Pulsar).

The music magazine OOR described his work for Les Ballets C de la B's dance production Bâche^[5] as a masterpiece, noting the unique combination of modern electronic soundscapes with emotive Elizabethan music.^[6]

In 2016, Van Nueten was recognized as a Fellow at the Sundance Institute for his work on the dance performance Verveling (Boredom), a collaboration with dancer Sheila Rojas and choreographer Amar Al-Bojrad. This fellowship is part of the institute's international cultural exchange programs to support independent artists from the Middle East and North Africa.^{[7] [8]}

As a performer and arranger, Van Nueten has contributed to albums by artists such as dEUS, Admiral Freebee, Zita Swoon, Magnus, Tim Vanhamel, and DAAN. Two of his songs have been included in the "Top 100 Belgian Songs of All Time" by the Belgian magazine Knack. His collaboration with Tom Barman, the double album Live, featured piano arrangements and was released across Europe, appearing on several best-of-the-year lists in 2003.

In 2009, Van Nueten released Merg, a contemporary classical solo album with influences from Baroque music and composers like Johann Sebastian Bach.^[9] In 2013, he followed up with Pacman,^[10] which was described by VRT Canvas' cobra.be as "timeless and free from trends".^[11] The Pacman trilogy concluded in 2018 with the release of Contact,^{[12] [13]} marking Van Nueten as the first Belgian artist to release an album on Sony Classical.^[14] In Humo, Tom Lanoye praised it as the most captivating album of the COVID-19 pandemic year, 2020.^[15]

In the fall of 2019, Van Nueten released the EP Night Has Come, featuring music from the soundtrack of Peter Van Goethem's film Night Has Come. The following years saw the release of the EPs As Played By, Wired, and Pulsar, which are part of Decent Music, a collection of works composed by Van Nueten between 2000 and 2020 for theater, film, and dance.^[16]

Music

Theater, musical, dance

• Het Beest, FroeFroe/HETPALEIS, director: Marc Maillard (2000)
• Beautiful Red Dress, Podium Modern, director: Manou Kersting (2001)
• Winter onder de tafel, HETPALEIS, director: Peter de Graef (2002–2004)
• Van muizen en mensen, Laika/Blauw4, director: Jo Roets (2003–2005)
• Villa Fink van Laika/De Blauwe Engel, director: Noël Fisher (2003)
• Percursos/Hotel Tomilho, Laika, concept: Peter De Bie, director: Jo Roets (2004, 2005, 2007)
• Soepkinders (musical), Laika/HETPALEIS, text: Gerda Dendooven, director: Jo Roets (2005–2008)
• Bâche, Les Ballets C de la B, choreography: Koen Augustijnen (2004–2006)
• Merg, De Roovers, text: Judith Herzberg, director: de Roovers (2006)
• Import-Export, Les Ballets C de la B, choreography: Koen Augustijnen (2006–2008)
• Runway show Dries Van Noten (with dEUS), men's collection, Milan (2007)
• Maria Magdalena, Toneelhuis (Antwerpen), director: Wayn Traub (2008)
• De 7 hoofdzonden, Cellopalladio, articitic coordination: Katelijn Van Kerckhoven (2009)
• 't Takkenkind (musical), Laika, text: Gerda Dendooven, director: Jo Roets (2009–2010, 2013–2014)
• Moederland (musical), Theater Stap, director: Lies Van Assche (2010–2011)
• Verveling/Boredom (dance), Moussem, director: Amar Al Bojrad (2012, 2016)
• WDSASE (dance), Monty, choreography: Duraid Al Abbas (2013)
• Solitary Confinement (eenzame opsluiting), Moussem, director: Strange Fruit (2013)
• The Medium (musical), Walpurgis, regie: Judith Vindevogel (2015)
• Skin, Compagnie Malka (FRA), choreography: Bouba Landrille Tchouda (2015–2016)
• Verveling (Boredom), WPZimmer/Sundance Institute (USA)/KunstZ (2016, 2017)
• Runway show Dries Van Noten and Christian Lacroix, women's collection SS20, Opéra Bastille, Paris (2019)
• De Toverberg, Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (NL), director: Stef Aerts and Marie Vinck - FC Bergman (2022)^[17]

Film music

• Pâques au Tison (with Jef Mercelis), La Parti Production, director: Martine Doyen (2002)
• Wolf, SKaGeN, director: SKaGeN (2003)
• Jaguar (short film), director: Willem Thijssen (2003)
• De Balletten en ci en là (documentary), director: Alain Platel (2006)
• Eva reste au placard... (short film), director: Alex Stockman (2006) ('Best European Short', Évora International Short Film Festival, Portugal 2007)
• Ex Drummer (with amongst others Arno and Flip Kowlier), CCCP, director: Koen Mortier (2006) ('Tiger Award' International Film Festival Rotterdam 2007; 'Best First Feature' Fantasia festival 2008; 'Best debut feature' Raindance festival 2007; 'Special Jury Award' Warsaw Film Festival 2007)^[18]
• 'Corporate' and'Photo', Caviar, director: Kurt Maes (2007) ('Best Film producer', Corporate Video Festival, Antwerp 2008)
• Sing the Blues (short), director: Marc Goyens (2007)
• First Things First (short film), director: Arne Focketyn (2010)
• Pulsar, Corridor Films, director: Alex Stockman (2009–2010) ('Preis der Deutsche Filmkritik' Filmfest Hamburg 2011)
• Epilogue (documentary), Serendipity Films, director: Manno Lanssens (2011) ('Best documentary' Ensor Award 2012)
• Nuru (animation), Walking the Dog, regie: Michaël Palmaers (2011) ('Best animated short' Palm Springs Film Festival, 'Best animated short' Rhode Island Film Festival)
• Milo, Samson Films (IRL) & Fu Works (NTL), director: Berend and Roel Boorsma (2011–2012) (Giffoni Film Festival 'CGS Award', Cinékid Award 'Best International Children's Movie 2012')
• Artaud, le surréel et les Tarahumaras, Blauer Reiter Filmproduktion (GER), regie: Lara Quaglia (2013)
• Brussels: A City Caught on Film (music for silent movies), CINEMATEK (2014)
• Le choix de peindre - Van Gogh (with Alan Gevaert) (documentary), Alizé/RTBF/Arte, director: Henri de Gerlache (2014)
• Raoul Servais, mémoires d'un artisan (documentary), LesFilmsDuCarré, director: Bastien Martin (2017)
• Night Has Come, Inti Films, director: Peter Van Goethem (2019)^{[19] [20]}

Discography

The Sands:

• The Sands (Universal, 1995)
• ...And Other True Stories (Universal, 1996)

Tom Barman & Guy Van Nueten:

• Live (Universal, 2003)

Van Nueten & Dugardin:

• Bâche (Bolli Records/Lowlands, 2004)

Guy Van Nueten:

• Merg (Bolli Records/62TV/PIAS, 2009)^[21]
• Pacman (Bolli Records, 2013)^[22]
• Music for a Small Orchestra (soundtrack Milo) (Bolli Records, 2015)^[23]
• Contact (Sony Classical, 2018)^[24]
• Night Has Come (soundtrack, ep) (Bolli Records, 2019)
• As Played By (ep) (Bolli Records, 2020)
• Wired (ep) (Bolli Records, 2020)^{[25] [26]}
• Pulsar (soundtrack, ep) (Bolli Records, 2021)^{[27] [28]}

External links

• Official website

Notes and References

1. Pianist-componist Guy Van Nueten ziet het licht in de schaduw van Bach. 2024-08-03. Vandendaele. Rudy . 2014-05-06. Humo. https://web.archive.org/web/20220105212812/https://www.humo.be/nieuws/pianist-componist-guy-van-nueten-ziet-het-licht-in-de-schaduw-van-bach~bdedb9c9/. 2022-01-05. nl. Pianist-composer Guy Van Nueten sees the light in Bach's shadow.
2. [:nl:The Sands|The Sands]
3. Weissberg . Jay . 2007-02-06 . Ex Drummer. live . . https://web.archive.org/web/20160302164250/https://variety.com/2007/film/reviews/ex-drummer-1200510582/. 2016-03-02 . 2024-08-03.
4. Web site: Eva stays in the cupboard the nights of the full moon .
5. Web site: Hutera. Donald. 2005-09-28. Dance: Bâche. 2024-08-03.
6. Web site: Bâche.
7. Web site: Sundance Institute Announces Eight Projects for Theatre Lab in MENA, May 2016.
8. Sundance Institute Announces 8 Projects for 2016 MENA Theatre Lab. Leonsis. Elle. 2016-03-07. 2024-08-03. IndieWire.
9. News: Van Assche . Gunter . 2009-09-19 . Guy Van Nueten begeestert met somber hedendaags klassiek . Guy Van Nueten enthuses with sombre contemporary classical music . nl . De Morgen . 2024-08-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20220105212815/https://www.demorgen.be/nieuws/guy-van-nueten-begeestert-met-somber-hedendaags-klassiek~b19b62c1/. 2022-01-05.
10. News: 2013-11-08 . Beluister Pacman, het nieuwe album van Guy Van Nueten . Listen to Pacman, the new album by Guy Van Nueten. nl . De Standaard . 2024-08-03.
11. Web site: Verdwalen met Pacman. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20180622084725/http://cobra.canvas.be/cm/cobra/muziek/1.1773046. 2018-06-22. nl. Get lost with Pacman. 2013-11-07.
12. Web site: De Cleen. Philippe. Guy Van Nueten – Contact (★★★★½): De kroon op het werk. Guy Van Nueten - Contact (★★★★½): The crowning glory. Dansende Beren. 2018-12-02. 2024-08-03.
13. Web site: De opmars van de nieuwe piano. nl. The rise of the new piano. 2020-11-01. Peeters. Tom. De Tijd.
14. Web site: Met componist Guy Van Nueten terug naar de Kempen: "Je vindt hier nog puurheid en eenvoud". nl. With composer Guy Van Nueten back to the Kempen: "You can still find purity and simplicity here". 2020-11-01. Piedfort. Dominique. Gazet Van Antwerpen.
15. Wat vond Tom Lanoye van 2020: 'Radicale kwetsbaarheid'. live . Humo . 2020-12-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20220105212811/https://www.humo.be/nieuws/wat-vond-tom-lanoye-van-2020-radicale-kwetsbaarheid~b5941e20/ . 2022-01-05 . 2024-08-03.
16. Guy Van Nueten en Mauro brengen samen rust. nl. daMusic. Guy Van Nueten and Mauro bring peace together. Alenus. Marc. 2020-12-14.
17. Web site: The Magic Mountain. Internationaal Theater Amsterdam. http://web.archive.org/web/20230322031436/https://ita.nl/en/shows/de-toverberg/2802031. 2023-03-22.
18. Web site: Verfilming 'Ex-Drummer' in competitie in Rotterdam. 2006-11-24. De Standaard. https://web.archive.org/web/20230718123836/https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf24112006_069. 2023-07-18. nl. Film of 'Ex-Drummer' in competition in Rotterdam.
19. Web site: Fantastic Fest 2019: NIGHT HAS COME is a Beautiful and Poignant Meditation on the Essence of Memory. Jason . Oliver. 2019-09-24. Film Seizure. https://web.archive.org/web/20201028144812/https://filmseizure.com/2019/09/23/fantastic-fest-2019-night-has-come-is-a-beautiful-and-poignant-meditation-on-the-nature-of-memory/. 2020-10-28.
20. Web site: Night Has Come is remarkable work of genuine found-footage horror. Nathan . Mattise. 2019-11-09. Ars Technica. https://web.archive.org/web/20201127171141/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/11/night-has-come-is-remarkable-work-of-genuine-found-footage-horror/. 2020-11-27.
21. Web site: Luc Nuyens laat schrijnend mooi de eenzaamheid van ’Merg’ zien. 2020-10-13. Hans. Oranje. 2006-12-12. Trouw.
22. Web site: Beluister Pacman, het nieuwe album van Guy Van Nueten. 2013-11-08. 2020-10-13. Bart. Van Belle. De Standaard.
23. Web site: Bekijk Milo's Theme, een nummer uit het nieuwe album van Guy Van Nueten. 2015-09-25. 2020-10-13. Bart. Van Belle. De Standaard.
24. Web site: TOUTPARTOUT sessions: Guy Van Nueten brengt het hartverwarmende, vierdelige 'Contact' in de Gentse Handelsbeurs. 2020-10-13. 2019-02-21. Humo.
25. Web site: Guy Van Nueten - Chairdance. 2020-09-05. 2020-10-13. Marc. Alenus. daMusic. https://web.archive.org/web/20201013180229/https://damusic.be/dossier/guy-van-nueten-chairdance-2232.html. 2020-10-13.
26. Web site: GUY VAN NUETEN – Chairdance (TBA/Bolli Records). 2020-09-08. 2020-10-13. Pieter. Walcarius. Luminous Dash. https://web.archive.org/web/20200928220526/https://luminousdash.be/belgisch/guy-van-nueten-chairdance-tba-bolli-records/. 2020-09-28.
27. Web site: Guy Van Nueten releaset 'Pulsar EP', muziek uit de gelijknamige film. 2021-04-09. 2021-04-23. Keys and Chords. 2021-04-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210423131511/http://www.keysandchords.com/news-blog/guy-van-nueten-releaset-pulsar-ep-muziek-uit-de-gelijknamige-film. dead.
28. Web site: Guy Van Nueten stelt het mooie introspectieve 'Pulsar Nucleus' voor uit het 'Decent Music' album. 2020-12-11. 2022-01-17. FrontView Magazine. https://web.archive.org/web/20220118182539/https://www.frontview-magazine.be/nl/nieuws/guy-van-nueten-stelt-het-mooie-introspectieve-pulsar-nucleus-voor-uit-het-decent-music-album. 2022-01-18.