During World War II, Johanna Bordewijk-Roepman and her husband refused to join the Kultuurkamer, a German-imposed organization, leading to their work being banned from performance or publication.
Cultural Impact
Despite her national and international performances until the 1950s, Johanna Bordewijk-Roepman's work is now known only to a small group of music lovers, often overshadowed by her husband, the writer Ferdinand Bordewijk.
Instruments
Ursula Schoch, the violinist on this album, plays a violin built by J.B. Guadagnini.
Composer Biography
Johanna Bordewijk-Roepman (1892-1971) was a versatile Dutch composer who taught herself to compose and wrote for piano, small ensembles, orchestra, choir, and carillon.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Johanna Bordewijk-Roepman followed her own path as a composer, writing only what she found beautiful, which resulted in her music having an "unmistakably its own sound."
Historical Context
The Bordewijk family home was destroyed during the 1945 bombardment of Bezuidenhout in The Hague, causing them to lose all their furniture, artworks, books, instruments, and scores.
Critical Reception
Early reviews of Johanna Bordewijk-Roepman's work were highly negative, with Willem Pijper, a leading Dutch critic, calling her talented but with "unformed and underdeveloped musical skills."
