Credits:

Royal Netherlands Army Band Johan Willem Friso, Teemen Botma

Description:

Jan de Haan was born in 1951 in Vaans, Friesland, the Netherlands. He studied music education and trombone at the Academy of Pedagogical Music in Leeuwarden and conducting at the Utrecht Conservatory with Henk Van Rijnshouten. He has been active as a conductor, composer, arranger, and international jury member for Dutch radio and television, and has recorded with the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra in Japan, both as a composer and conductor in the Netherlands and abroad. The title work, “Center of the Universe,” was commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the Excelsior Music Society in Oosterhout, the Netherlands. It is a charming work, beginning with a powerful theme, followed by a simple, lyrical middle section and an energetic finale. The collection also includes six other works, including “Galea (Helmet) and War,” composed based on a military helm