Amstel Music

25 years ago, in 1988, John de Meij presented his first composition - an entire symphony. Symphony No. 1 'The Lord of the Rings' was released on CD by the Royal Military Band of the Netherlands conduc...

An ode to New York. The Big Apple is a musical representation of the spirit, the glamour and the unfriendliness of one of the most fascinating cities in the world. Listening to this symphony is as exc...

Erik Satie, born in Honfleur in Normandy (France) in 1866 is undoubtedly one of the most striking personalities in the history of French music. He composed in various, often quite divergent, styles. B...

In 1938 Shostakovich composed his Second Jazz Suite at the request of the recently founded State Orchestra for Jazz conducted by Victor Knushevitsky. This suite was originally scored for a complete sy...

La Quintessenza is a musical approach of the quintessence, the heart of the matter. By focusing a five note motif in a number of variants, De Meij tries to get through to the essence of the musical ma...

The very character of Till (the mythical prankster in the animated adventure romp Till Eulenspiegel) calls for over-the-top and minutely timed action music. Focusing first on Till's Theme and later Ki...

Johan de Meij's first symphony'The Lord of the Rings' is based on the trilogy of that name by J. R. R. Tolkien. This book has fascinated many millions of readers since its publication in 1955. The sym...

In 1938 Shostakovich composed his Second Jazz Suite at the request of the recently founded State Orchestra for Jazz conducted by Victor Knushevitsky. This suite was originally scored for a complete sy...