The Flemish Belgian composer, countertenor vocalist, pianist, guitarist, and musicologist, Wim Mertens will play at Centro Cultural de Bélem in Lisbon on November 6.
Wim Mertens studied music theory and piano at the Ghent Conservatory and the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.
Known primarily as a composer since the early 1980s, Wim Mertens is best known for his opus Struggle for Pleasure and for his piece Maximizing the Audience, which was composed for Jan Fabre’s play The Power of Theatrical Madness, which premiered in 1984 in Venice, Italy.
Mertens’ style has continually evolved during the course of his prolific career, starting from downright experimental and avant-garde, always gravitating around minimalism, usually, however, preserving a melodic foundation to the forays that he makes into the worlds that he is exploring.
He has released more than 50 albums to date, the majority of which were issued by Les Disques du Crépuscule from 1980 until 2004.
He also produced a number of Crépuscule releases and consulted with the label on its choice of works by contemporary composers such as Michael Nyman, Gavin Bryars, and Glenn Branca.
Wim Mertens is the author of American Minimal Music, which looks at the school of American repetitive music and the work of LaMonte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass.
Tickets can be bought at www.ccb.pt (only in Portuguese).
