Custom Music for Sunrise and Imke

One of the beautiful things about having a personal composition is that Soerjadi could alter his composition as he, Schellekens-Bartels and Sunrise worked through the choreography and the creation of the freestyle. “What is special to this music is it is made especially for Sunrise and Imke. So, the whole piece encompasses two voices – Imke and Sunrise.”

Soerjadi said that being a rider himself made the process of composing the music much easier. “It’s important. If one isn’t a rider then you can’t understand the difficulties or the rhythm of riding.” While Soerjadi said he was very pleased that people enjoyed his music and that it helped Schellekens-Bartels become the reserve world champion, he most hopes that spectators feel his music succeeds in expressing the beauty of riding.

To ensure that there was no misinterpretation of his composition, Soerjadi himself played the piece for the recording used by Schellekens-Bartels in her freestyle. “I felt that I could better express the virtuosity in the music and that I could better ensure that the music expresses the character I see in Sunrise. Dressage is about expression and proper expression in dressage and music isn’t easy. This is especially not an easy piece.”

It may not be easy, but it was certainly beautiful. And while Schellekens-Bartels herself doesn’t play an instrument, Soerjadi said he enjoyed working with her because “she’s very musical. She can hear and feel everything that I did in the music. And for me, that’s also very special.”

Check out the Video of Imke's ride in s'Hertogenbosch, Amsterdam
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