Eduard de Boer
Biography
Eduard de Boer (b. 24 July 1957, Sneek, The Netherlands) is a Dutch composer and pianist (often writing under the pseudonym Alexander Comitas).
Boer studied piano with Thom Bollen and composition with Hans Kox at the Utrecht Conservatory, and orchestral conducting with Anton Kersjes at the Maastricht Conservatory. From 1981 to 1990 he worked as a freelance pianist for the orchestras and the choir of the Dutch radio. Then he decided to dedicate himself entirely to composing.
Since 1981 Boer has been writing his music almost exclusively in commission. Comitas has written several compositions for wind orchestra, including two Armenian rhapsodies and, commissioned by the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy, A Night on Culbin Sands. Armenian Rhapsody Nr. I served as a compulsory piece during the First Open Dutch Championship for concert level wind orchestras, in Kerkrade in 1995. A Night on Culbin Sands was selected to serve as a compulsory piece for concert level wind orchestras, during the 2001 World Music Contest in Kerkrade. In 2007, he received a commission to write an opera with wind orchestra, for the 2009 World Music Contest.
He has used a pseudonym Alexander Comitas for a long time, but in 2018 he moved his official website from comitas.org to eduarddeboer.org, and stated that he was going to work under the real name Eduard de Boer.
Works for Winds
- Armenian Rhapsody No 1 (as Alexander Comitas) (1990)
- Caucasian Epode (1988/1994)
- Coming to Light (2015)
- Concert Overture Mindia 2020 (2020)
- Elegy for Tohoku (2011)
- From a Fairy Tale. See: Uit een Sprookje
- Homage to Dmitri Shostakovich (1978/1990)
- A Night on Culbin Sands (1999/2001)
- Symphony No. 3 (2013)
- Uit een Sprookje (as Alexander Comitas) (2005)
- Vita Aeterna Variations (2011/2017)
- Witches' Cauldron (as Alexander Comitas) (2003)
Resources
- Burch-Pesses, Michael. "A Night on Culbin Sands." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 9, edit. & comp. by Richard Miles, 851-862. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2013.
- Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Eduard de Boer." Accessed 9 August 2015.
- "Alexander Comitas". Eduard de Boer website. Accessed 26 March 2022