For Dag van de Componist, different composers come together to create dreamscapes—sonic spaces where folk, electronics, and instrumental experimentation merge to explore connection, resilience, and the architecture of dreams. In this two-part concert, Batavieren Alexandra Alden, Simone Bottasso and Nicolò Bottasso share the stage of the Paradijskerk with Oscar van Dillen and Fie Schouten.
20:30 - 21:30 | Dreamscapes: Dronescape 6.5 - Oneirology 6
Existential threats are growing more urgent by the day, yet often fail to receive the attention they deserve—sometimes even facing censorship or legal challenges. In response, it's crucial to nurture small beginnings that can grow over time, starting with real, human connection—not just digital interactions—rooted in rationality and realism.
With this work, Oscar van Dillen set out to create such a beginning: a shared space for listening and dreaming together. Drawing from his expertise, he composed a dedicated musical piece—a dark, introspective dreamscape—designed to bring professionals together in creative collaboration. Despite the limitations of the Covid era, the project was realized through remote cooperation, forming new connections and laying the groundwork for what might become a musical alphabet of Babel: a meeting point of diverse musical traditions and voices.
Through these connections, our world expands while simultaneously becoming more intimate and comprehensible. This is one of the great gifts of modern technology—without it, the creation of this album would have been nearly impossible.
You are warmly invited to connect as well. To listen, to dream, and to imagine—freely, fearlessly. To face reality, and to escape it. To ask yourself what can be added, what can be created. To imagine the spirit of John Lennon.
Line-up:
Oscar van Dillen – electronics
Fie Schouten – clarinets
21:45 - 22:45 | Dreamscapes: Alexandra Alden & Duo Bottasso
Dreamscapes unites Duo Bottasso—brothers Nicolò and Simone with their radical-folk roots—and singer-songwriter Alexandra Alden in a special collaboration premiering at Rotterdam's Dag van de Componist. This performance blends Duo Bottasso's driving instrumental energy with Alden's thoughtful songwriting, crowned with a new solo piece on Nicolò's baryton violin composed by Simone.
Duo Bottasso reimagines Italian folk and political songs with contemporary flair and technical brilliance. Their music honours tradition while pushing boundaries through free improvisation and rhythmic innovation, earning them acclaim across Europe's experimental music scene.
Alexandra Alden brings her Anglo-Maltese perspective and delicate yet powerful compositions on fingerstyle guitar and voice to the collaboration. Her upcoming album "When is it too late?" (October 2025) explores beauty breaking through concrete—a theme evident in "Magnolia," inspired by urban nature encounters and celebrating resilience amid vulnerability.
For Dag van de Componist, they've created unique arrangements that weave Italian folk with Alden's contemplative songs, in a natural dreamscape. The chemistry of their first-ever performance together promises a rare musical journey that bridges tradition and innovation, revealing their ideas about the architecture of dreams and their songs.
Line-up:
Simone Bottasso – organetto
Nicolò Bottasso – baritone violin
Alexandra Alden – guitar, vocals