Praying mantis
The first part is inspired by an image of an oversized praying mantis in a church, on a stone monument for a bishop on his grave.
A playful exploration of art, music and mathematics
Escher in The Palace is organising a unique concert in which the world-famous prints of M.C. Escher merge in surprising ways with music and mathematics. Classical music forms the common thread, interspersed with fascinating discussions on themes from Escher's oeuvre, the mathematics of Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing, and the compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach.
‘I believe that no music moves me as much as this...’, Escher wrote to a friend at the age of 22 about Bach's compositions.
Professor of artificial intelligence Holger Hoos, one of only 71 heckelfone players in the world, and visionary English composer Graham Waterhouse, together with other renowned musicians, explore connections between visual art, mathematics and music. Connections that have been studied since ancient times. The topics covered in this concert include creativity and precision, patterns and structures, infinity and impossibility, and artificial intelligence.
Escher, Bach, Gödel: Perspectives and (Im)possibilities will be performed twice and offers more than just music: your ticket includes a drink and an admission ticket to Escher in The Palace, giving you access to the magical world of Escher throughout November 2025.
Programme & practical information:
The concert will be performed twice on Saturday, 8 November.
| Afternoon concert | 3:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | |
| Evening concert | 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. | |
| Location: | The Kloosterkerk, The Hague | |
| Ticket price: | €35 per person (includes: admission to one of the concerts, one drink, and an admission ticket to Escher in The Palace – valid throughout November 2025) | |
| Language: | English | |
Holger Hoos
Graham Waterhouse
About the musicians
Holger Hoos is a bassoonist and computer scientist (professor of artificial intelligence) and one of only 71 heckelfone players in the world.
Graham Waterhouse is a composer who draws inspiration from the work of M.C. Escher.
Musicians: David Frühwirth (violin), Anna Kakutia (violin), Chialong Tsai (viola), Graham Waterhouse (composer, cello and piano), Mattia Riva (double bass), Holger Hoos (heckelphone)
The programme
Four Epigraphs to Escher, Op. 35, is a chamber music composition by Graham Waterhouse, written in 1995 for viola, heckelfone and piano. The four movements refer to graphic artworks by M. C. Escher. The work was commissioned by Dr. Gunter Joppig and premiered in Munich in 1995. The piece was published by Hofmeister in 1998 and performed for the first time in the United States in the same year.
Composer Graham Waterhouse was inspired by graphic artworks by M. C. Escher to write Four Epigraphs to Escher in four movements in 1993, each named after a work by the graphic artist. He composed it as a piano trio with viola and heckelfone. It is one of the few chamber music works for this unusual double-reed instrument, which belongs to the woodwind family.
The composition consists of four parts:
M.C. Escher, Dream (Mantis Religiosa), wood engraving, April 1935
Praying mantis
Möbius Strip
Escher explored the phenomenon of the Möbius strip on several occasions; the music refers to Möbius Strip II, with ants crawling across the strip.
M.C. Escher, Möbius Strip II (Red Ants), woodcut in red, black and grey-green, printed from three blocks, February 1963
Möbius Strip
Horseman
The third part refers to a print depicting horsemen in two directions and two colour shades, which partially complement each other.
M.C. Escher, Horseman, woodcut in red, black and grey, printed from three blocks, July 1946
Horseman
Reptiles
The last part is based on Escher's 1934 print Reptiles.
M.C. Escher, Reptiles, lithograph, March 1943