The street organ player is a full-fledged character in the history of Amsterdam. His social role -- to entertain the masses -- defined the repertoire of the instrument. And so very few modern composers wrote music for the street organ.
Willem Breuker is one of them, and the 25 or so street organ books he wrote originated from this first experience from 1967, the
Lunch Concert program. A 13-piece suite for three models of book-operated street organs (the Puntkapje, Pipo and Snotneus),
Lunch Concert defies any and all tradition in street organ music.
Breuker occasionally alludes to the familiar oom-pah or waltz, but for the most part, the music consists of abstract atonal music, made all the more brutal and aggressive by the sharp tones of these organs. The bareness of the first movements is disconcerting and extremely demanding.
Breuker's sense of humor and a stronger musicality can be found in "In Memory of John Coltrane," "Talking," and the two trio pieces concluding the suite -- both busy, dizzying tunes.
Lunch Concert was recorded in 1967 on the streets of Amsterdam, in front of a crowd that couldn't care less. Sound quality is good, but bystanders are heard talking (in Dutch) throughout. This music first came out on LP in the late '60s. BVHaast reissued it on CD in 2003, adding three bonus tracks. "Music for Han Bennink" and "Preparation to Voting" are busier, livelier, and considerably better pieces written in 1968-1969 for the Busy Drone organ, and recorded in 1981 under excellent conditions. "Een Dagje Ouder" (for the Perlee small organ) was originally written in 1970 for an animated short. The recording presented here is from 2003. The
Lunch Concert suite has historical value, if anything, as one of the stranger street-based action performance events held in the late '60s, while the other tracks show how well
Breuker came to understand the instrument. Of course, this music represents an acquired taste and a footnote in
Breuker's extensive discography. ~ François Couture