Joep Beving

Joep Beving has been at one with the piano since a young age. While his goal was once to hit as many notes per minute as physically possible, his playing style has changed over the years in search of a particular aesthetic essence. His path was lit by a piano Beving inherited from his grandmother.

Initially turned down by the only label he approached, Joep decided to self-release his debut album Solipsism in 2015. The sound of his piano found its way to the ears of Deutsche Grammophon’s A&R manager, Christian Badzura, during a visit to his favorite bar in Berlin. This led to Beving’s signing with the world’s largest classical label and, as a result, the release of an equally successful second album, Prehension, in 2017, making Joep one of the most listened-to living pianists in the world at that time.

On Conatus, Beving sees compositions from his first two albums travel through the minds of artists he admires (Suzanne Ciani, Collin Benders, Andrea Belfi, among others) and result in new pieces of music adding new layers and dimensions that will serve as the impetus for his next major solo project, which will become apparent in April 2019.

“If you see music as a living organism, then it’s not unthinkable that it has its own innate inclination to continue to exist and improve.” Joep Beving on Conatus.

April 2019 sees the release of HENOSIS, the final chapter in a trilogy of Joep Beving albums – marking the end of an intensely personal four-year spiritual and philosophical exploration.

For his latest project, he is inspired by Hermeticism, a spiritual philosophy that derives from ancient writings attributed to the legendary Greek author Hermes Trismestigus. At the heart of this philosophy are seven universal laws of nature, handed down through the centuries and later compiled in the Kybalion, a text that has influenced New Age theories in more recent times. These concepts – such as the principle of cause and effect and the principle of rhythm – are aimed at finding a permanent balance in life and existence. “The teachings surrounding these principles feel so true to me and I hope they inspire others,” Beving says.