Peter van Anrooy - Piet Hein Rhapsodie (1901)

Peter van Anrooy (1879-1954) Piet Hein was a Dutch West India Company admiral who captured the Spanish silver fleet in 1628 and was immortalized through a song with his name by J. P. Heije with a tune by J. J. Viotta. Piet Hein Rhapsody, composed in 1901, was a youthful work of Peter van Anrooy based in Heije's song written at the request of his composition teacher Johan Wagenaar. His nine-minute Piet Hein, "Dutch Rhapsody for Large Orchestra" is brilliantly orchestrated, sure crowd-pleaser especially for Netherlanders who know the popular tune. In spite of this delightful first opus, Anrooy's other music has been forgotten and he is best known as conductor of the Hague Philharmonic Orchestra which he led for many years beginning in 1917. Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kees Bakels