Born: 1966 - Holland

The Dutch harpsichordist and conductor, Pieter-Jan Belder, studied recorder with Ricardo Kanji at the Royal Conservatory at the Hague, and harpsichord with Bob van Asperen at the Amsterdam Sweelinck Conservatory, where he graduated in 1990, and joined the staff between 1990-1995. In 1997 he was awarded a third prize at the Hamburg NDR Music Prize harpsichord competition. In 2000 he became winner of the Leipzig Bach harpsichord Competition.

Pieter-Jan Belder has a career since as a harpsichordist, clavicordist, organist, recorder player and fortepiano player. He played at several international Festivals, such as the Barcelona 'Festival de Musica Antiga', The 'Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht' and the Berlin 'Tage für Alte Musik'. He playes regulary solo recitals but is also very much in demand as a continuo player with such ensembles as the Radio Chamber Orchestra, Collegium Vocale Gent, Il Fondamento, the Amsterdam Bachsolisten, the Nederlandse Bachvereniging, the Spanish ensemble Ex Tempore, and his own Ensemble Musica Amphion. He worked with conductors such as Frans Brüggen, Ton Koopman, Thomas Hengelbrock, Paul Dombrecht, Philippe Herreweghe and René Jacobs. Belder Also accompanies soloists like Johannette Zomer, Nico van der Meel en Saskia Coolen.

Pieter-Jan Belder made numerous radio- and television recordings for the Dutch broadcast companies and German radio. He made many CD-recordings, most of them being solo- and chamber music productions. He recorded for Erasmus label Bach's Goldberg Variations (BWV 988), Das Musikalishes Opfer and Das Wohltemperierte Clavier. In 1999 he was invited to co-operate in two important CD recording projects: 10 CD's in a complete Bach recording (including the Goldberg Variations (BWV 988), the Six Partitas, the sonatas for violin and harpsichord (With Luis Otavio Santos) and the Inventionen & Sinfonien (BWV 772-801)) and a CD in a complete recording of all the keyboard works of the Dutch composer Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck. Belder is now embarking on a CD project (36 CD's), recording all the harpsichord sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti, a project which will occupy him until 2007, a memorial year of this great Italian/Spanish composer (1685-1757). In the mean time Belder recorded "Tafelmusik" by Georg Philipp Telemann with his ensemble Musica Amphion.

Source: Pieter-Jan Belder Website
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (November 2006); Teddy Kaufman (December 2006 - photo)

Pieter-Jan Belder: Short Biography | Recordings of Non-Vocal Works | Recordings of Vocal Works
Dicsuuions of Non-Vocal Recordings: Goldberg Variations BWV 988 - played by Pieter-Jan Belder

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

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Joop Schets

Organ

BWV 244

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Pieter-Jan Belder (Official Website) [Dutch/English]

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