Laurens van Rooyen - Romantic Beatle Ballads (Remastered 2025) (2025) Hi-Res

Laurens van Rooyen (Utrecht, 27 March 1935) is a Dutch pianist and composer. He is known for his theatre collaborations with Herman van Veen. Laurens van Rooyen has written many piano pieces and has composed music for several Dutch films. He has written two books about his musical experiences.
Laurens Johannes van Rooyen was born in Utrecht, the Netherlands, the eldest son of a grocer. After grammar school, he studied at the Utrecht Conservatory, where he met Herman van Veen. Together with him, he founded the "Harlekijn Muziektheater" in 1966. They wrote songs and performed together.
In 1976, his first solo album was released: "Kaleidoskoop". Since then, he has continued to release recordings with various record companies. In the late seventies he composed the score for Jos Stelling's opera Rembrandt fecit 1669, followed by Een vrouw als Eva (A Woman Like Eve), 1979, Lieve jongens (Dear Boys), 1980 and Een vlucht Regenwulpen (The Flight of the Rainbirds), 1981. In the nineties he also participated in the production of several Dutch films. In 1978 Van Rooyen toured the Netherlands and Belgium with musicians such as guitarist Jan Akkerman. Together with Louis van Dijk, Tonny Eijk, Pim Jacobs, Pieter van Vollenhoven and Daniel Weyenberg, in 1988 he founded a partnership called "de Gevleugelde Vrienden" (The Winged Friends. "Vleugel" means wing, as well as piano). They have given over forty-five concerts throughout Holland. Since the turn of the century, Van Rooyen has frequently given piano concerts in castles and coach houses along the river Vecht. He also performs on special occasions, such as anniversaries and jubilees. In 2004, he was commissioned to compose a piece for the 750th anniversary of Utrecht Cathedral. He has also toured the theatre with De Verdvenen Minnares (The Lost Mistress), 2005, a musical ode to romance. Together with Geert Huinink he wrote the dance opera "Orpheus". The premiere took place at the opening of the Amsterdam Dance Event in 2005. Van Rooyen is the author of two books. In 2015 his latest work: "Beethoven was ook een zzp'er" (Beethoven was also a freelancer). In 1983 Van Rooyen was awarded the Golden Harp by the Boom Foundation for Culture. In 2014 Laurens van Rooyen received a royal award: Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion.