Armand Simon - Hommage Wim Statius Muller (deel 1)

“Suite Pikiña (= small suite), Opus 7” by Wim Statius Muller (Curaçao, 1930-2019) played by pianist Armand Simon. Suite Pikiña includes an Antillean waltz, a Mazurka and a Tumba. Pianist and composer Statius Muller began piano lessons at age seven. He received a thorough piano education with Jacobo Palm, after which he was admitted at Juilliard School of music in New York City in 1949. At Juilliard he studied piano and composition with Josef Raieff where he graduated with honors in 1954. In 1955 Statius Muller began teaching piano and music history at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. In 1960, Statius Muller left his position at the University to accept a job as a civil servant in Willemstad, Curaçao, where he collaborated on the creation of a Domestic Security Service. In 1972 he transferred to the Domestic Security Service in the Netherlands for a position in the field of counter-terrorism. In 1981 he was appointed Executive Security Officer at NATO in Brussels. After his retirement in 1995, Statius Muller returned to Curaçao where he had more time for his great passion, piano playing and composing. Statius Muller composed classical Antillean dances such Antillean waltzes, danza’s and tumba’s and was often referred as the “Chopin from Curaçao”. He remained active as a pianist and composer until his old age. In recognition of his contribution to the preservation of the musical heritage of the Caribbean islands, he was awarded a Silver Carnation in 2012. He was praised for his role as a mentor and inspirer of young musicians in the Caribbean part of the Dutch Kingdom. Pianist Armand Simon was born in Amsterdam to Aruban parents and started studying piano at the age of 12. After winning a prize at the Petrof Piano Competition, it became clear that a musical future awaited him. He studied at the Rotterdam Conservatory with the Russian pianist Mila Baslawskaja and continued his studies at the Utrecht Conservatory with professor Alan Weiss. In 2004 he returned to Aruba and devoted himself to training and mentoring young promising talents on the island. In his role as ambassador of classical music in Aruba, he created the successful concept 2classic4u and founded the Crescendo foundation. As a pianist he performed in the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, Venezuela, Columbia, the US and Belgium. In 2006, Armand Simon was asked to perform for Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. In 2007 he was invited to perform at the prestigious 'Festival del Nuevo Mundo’ in Maracaibo. Armand Simon is a dedicated chamber musician and has collaborated with artists such as Katja Laemmerman, Simon Gollo, Mirjam Tschopp, Nicaulis Alliey and Alessio Bax. Armand Simon was the initiator and director of the annual 'International Aruba Piano Festival' in Aruba. Nowadays Armand Simon is, among other things, responsible for the management of the Dutch Bach Society. Recording: Paul Simon en Fred Boender Editing: Fred Boender