Short Essay on Nietzsche and Music
As part of the Rope Dance booklet (see Store). Click here to read. All the words in italics refer to the title tracks on Rope Dance.
read more
Kurzes Essay über Nietzsche und die Musik (Deutsch)
As part of the Rope Dance booklet (see Store). Click here to read. All the words in italics refer to the title tracks on Rope Dance.
read morePetit Essai sur Nietzsche et la Musique (Francais)
As part of the Rope Dance booklet (see Store). All words in italics refer to the title tracks of that album. Click here to read.
read moreOpinion Article in De Volkskrant (5 May 2021)
On the tension between freedom of speech and art versus ‘safety’ and offensiveness. Published in De Volkskrant on 5 May 2021. Click here to read (Dutch only).
read moreOpinion Article in De Volkskrant (22 December 2020)
In response to the removal of Erik Kessels’ artwork Destroy my Face from a Dutch photo festival, I wrote this article on cancel culture, drawing from Isaiah Berlin’s thought. Click here to read (Dutch only).
read moreJournal Article: “To Lie Beyond Good & Evil: A Musical Question of Truth”
Tijdschrift voor Filosofie 82, no.1 (May 2020): 57–92. Doi: 10.2143/TVF.82.1.0000000. Peer-reviewed article on Nietzsche, truth, and improvisation. Language: Dutch (draft in English). Click here for a link to the PDF. Keywords: Nietzsche, truth, lies, footing, correctness, art, music, improvisation. Summary: To Lie Beyond Good and Evil: A Musical Question of Truth (Joris Roelofs) In this article, […]
read moreNietzsche’s Muses: Solo Bass Clarinet
In this lecture-concert, I play improvised versions of compositions that are all related to Nietzsche: Beethoven, Strauss, Wagner, Mahler, Bizet. In between, I elaborate on these composers and their connection to Nietzsche.
read moreMaster Course: Freedom and Improvisation (Conservatory of Amsterdam)
Freedom is key to improvisation. Jazz music, in particular, lends itself to freedom of form, of imagination, of expression. But freedom is a porous concept, subject to diverse and even conflicting interpretations. In this course, we will reflect on the interplay between freedom and improvisation. Together, we’ll explore the following questions: What is freedom? Does freedom have […]
read moreLecture: Nietzsche’s Muses: An Examination of Nietzsche’s Philosophy as it Relates to Music and Dance
Language: German or English. This lecture elaborates on Nietzsche‘s ideas of identity, freedom, and creativity and connects these ideas to the world of music. I examine Nietzsche‘s relationship to Richard Wagner and his music, Nietzsche‘s studies on rhythm, as well as his own ambitions as a composer. I also discuss Nietzsche’s relationship to improvisation: he was an excellent improviser himself. The lecture includes audio […]
read moreEssay: Plato, Pluto en The Ninth Planet (Dutch)
Here’s an article that I wrote on Plato, Pluto and The Ninth Planet (in Dutch)
read more