Pigeon Spins Featuring an Interview with Ruud Voesten

Ruud Voesten - Raw Beans

Check out this calm, dark, emotional track of this new record with music composed to Dante Alighieri's Purgatorio. For fans of chamber music, Messiaen and jazz.

Ruud Voesten (1987) is a drummer/composer from Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Following his successful debut 'Ambrosia' (2023) with music composed to Dante Alighieri's Inferno, Voesten is getting ready to release his follow up record 'Ambrosia II'.

'Ambrosia II' deals with the second part of the Divine Comedy: Purgatorio. It follows the journey into the Purgatorio, a place where souls are educated in virtues to counter their sins. “Raw Beans” describes the terras of Gluttony, where the souls are subjected to hunger and thirst whilst surrounded by fruit trees and water just out of their reach. The music reflects this torment in a duet for clarinet & piano.

For the creation of this repertoire Voesten was invited by Il Palmerino in Florence (where Dante spent most his life) to stay at their property and be influenced by the Italian art and nature.

Interview with Ruud Voesten

(º)> What inspired you to compose music based on Dante Alighieri's Purgatorio for Ambrosia II?

David Bowie’s Blackstar made a big impact on me. His ability to translate his terminal illness to music/art seemed like the highest level of artistry achievable. To start my journey on the same path of artistic depth, I figured I could use another piece of art as a thread for my debut record. Inferno’s story gave me many vivid images and theme’s to compose to, which resulted in Ambrosia. After finishing this record, I felled compelled to continue this journey and take on the other parts of the Divine Comedy.

(º)> How does Ambrosia II differ conceptually and musically from your debut Ambrosia?

Conceptually there are many similarities. I translate the story of Dante’s poem to music by using my interpretation of the story and my own associations. I think on Ambrosia II I used the development of tension in the story a bit more as a guide for the compositions. I also think the record has a more coherent feel this time.

Musically Ambrosia II has a broader sound pallet. Wietse and Mo play a wider variety of horns, sometimes even without a reed.

(º)> What was it like staying at Il Palmerino in Florence and how did the Italian art and nature influence your compositions?

Il Palmerino was fantastic, such an amazing place and people. Federica and Stefano are very warm and welcoming, and very supportive in the artistic process.

The place gave me a lot of solitude and focus to just worry about the music. Located between olive gardens, hills and trees you can really retreat and be by yourself. At the same time it took a 15 minute walk to get to a restaurant or shop, so an excellent balance.

In the end it was mostly Dante’s poem that influenced the music, but indirectly living among all this culture got me into the right mindset for sure.

(º)> How did you approach blending chamber music, Messiaen-inspired harmonies, and jazz elements in this record?

I believe this went very intuitively. During the composing process I really searched for ways to make the group sound different. So using different horns or leaving certain instruments out led to a multitude of colours. I really love the sound of a bowed double bass, which immediately makes the music sound more classical.

(º)> Which moments on the album are most emotionally or conceptually significant for you?

I feel really content with how ‘Luchtig’ (Airy) turned out, the pitchless horns sound amazing. A Lure also has a special place in my heart. I remember listening back to the first rehearsal we played this song and being very moved by how it turned out.

(º)> How do you translate the themes of Purgatory, reflection, purification, and transition into sound?

By first assessing what my own personal reflections and associations on those theme’s are. Part of the research was finding out why the Divine Comedy is still relevant today and why Dante’s work was so great. His own personal reflections and views make the poem very interesting, so I tried to do the same with my own music.

After having done that, I would look for musical material that could connect to this. A certain chord, meter, scale that fits to part of the story. Or putting the development of tension in the story into a graph and using this as a blue print for the composition.

(º)> What was the most challenging aspect of creating this repertoire compared to your first record?

Dealing with my own expectations. Making the first record was challenging, but also exciting and new. Making a follow up record had me deal with a lot of assumptions related to Ambrosia. ‘This record needs to be better’, ‘the compositions need to be different’, ‘I cannot use the same … ‘, those kinds of thoughts.

(º)> How do you envision listeners experiencing the album, more as a narrative journey or an emotional landscape?

I think an emotional landscape. Even though there’s this whole concept behind the music, the records needs to work by itself without this being known to the listener. I think it does and will still evoke vivid images.

But enhanced by the story of Purgatorio, we can give the listener a bit of a guidance, and I think it works even better.

(º)> What instruments and techniques were essential in achieving the album’s dark and introspective tone?

All of the of course :)

But I think the bowed double bass with the clarinets and piano really capture this mood.

(º)> What role does improvisation play in depicting Dante’s encounters with the souls on Mount Purgatory?

Purgatorio is a story of development. Dante encounters souls who sinned and who are being educated in the corresponding virtue. He gives examples from the bible and ancient mythology. When souls are done with their punishment and have learned enough, they can continue up the mountain.

I think improvisation captures a lot of this process. It’s researching what is there, what’s right or wrong, and what to keep and what to discard. And ultimately what to commit to. So you can listen to a lot of the compositions as the theme being the exposition of the situation, the improvisation being the research and development of the issue with ultimately some kind of resolution at the end of the piece.

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Ruud Voesten on the Pigeon Spins Playlist