Robert Nasveld (1955) studied piano at the Utrecht Conservatory with Polo de Haas, Sas Bunge and Herman Uhlhorn. In 1980 he received his performance diploma. After his studies, Robert Nasveld specialized in the repertoire of the twentieth century and had a strong interest in Dutch, Russian and American music. He has given concerts throughout Europe, Russia and the United States.
He recorded the complete works for one piano by George Crumb (1991) for Attacca. His interpretations of this music led to invitations, most notably to perform at the Warsaw Autumn Festival in 1990, and in the Netherlands to appear with the composer on a nationally televised program. His association with George Crumb led him to organize a seven-hour live broadcast of Crumb’s music for VPRO radio in 1986.
He was a member of the Orgella Quartet (with Margaret Krill, Polo de Haas, Niek de Vente), which was founded in 1976, followed by Piano Kwadraat and finally the Dutch Pianists’ Quartet (with Marian Bolt, Corien van den Berg, Niek de Vente), specializing in the performance of music for two eight-handed pianos. He also worked with singers such as Claron McFadden, Marjanne Kweksilber, Marianne Blok, Liesbeth List (tour 1983/’84), Hieke Meppelink and Lieuwe Visser. In 1998 he stopped performing as a pianist because of the disease MS.
Robert Nasveld studied composition with Joep Straesser and electronic music with Ton Bruynèl. In 1981 he won the prize for composition at the Utrecht Conservatory. His last album ‘Hanging around’ with his own compositions was highly praised by the national newspapers. Derailments and shreds of the absurd occasionally appear in his compositions. Due to his previous activities as a pianist, his time-consuming work for the radio and his disease, his output as a composer remains limited.
Most important works: Imaginations I (1978) for baritone and piano; I Touch You (1980) for multi-track tape; Three Pieces for two pianos eight hands (1982); Monument (1991) for piano; Music for the Billions ( 1998) for 14 instrumentalists; String Quartet I (2000); Three Pieces (2002) for piano; Hanging around (2003) for piano trio; Hanging around again (2005) for cello and piano; Traumblätter (Dream Leaves) (2007) for piano four hands; Six Cavafy Songs (2009) for baritone and 15 instrumentalists.
From 1988 to 2022 Robert Nasveld worked for NOS/NPS/NTR as program editor for contemporary music on Classical Radio. In addition to his contributions to the Silver Reiss Mikrofoon award-winning program supplement, he programmed series of orchestral concerts with an emphasis on contemporary music, performed by soloists, ensembles and the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic, the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Radio Choir in Utrecht and Amsterdam. Main series in the Muziekcentrum Vredenburg in Utrecht: ‘The Great Crossing’ (1991/1996), ‘Knock on the Triad’ (1998), ‘Muziek in Her(t)z’ (1998/2001), ‘Whiskey & Wodka’ (2005/2007) and ‘NTR maakt hoorbaar’ (2008/2013) in the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ in Amsterdam.
Most important Holland Festival productions to name: ‘Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil’ (2007), ‘Caminantes…..ayacucho’ (2008), ‘Anatomy of Melancholy’ (2009), ‘Dances of Ascents’ (2011) ‘Pierre Boulez & Yannis Xenakis’ (2015), ‘Solar Trilogy’ (2016), ‘Sacred environment’ (2017), ‘Sometime voices’ (2018).
From 2019 until his retirement in 2021, he hosted a series of for National Classical Radio about pioneers in electronic music. They are still online and on Spotify.