Wim Mertens, Belgian composer born in 1953, studied at the Brussels Conservatoire and graduated in Political and Social Science and Musicology. Mertens plays piano and classical guitar. And sometimes he sings in a characteristic high-pitched voice, using a personal imaginary language.

Since 1980 he has composed numerous works in different formats, ranging from short, accessible songs to complex cycles in three or four parts, and from different chamber formations to solo piano. Wim Mertens also composes music for plays and films.

He has released more than 25 albums (all of them with the Belgian label "Les Disques du Crépuscule"). Among his first albums, one has remained a classic, "Close cover".

In October 1981 he recorded a twelve-inch with the title “At Home/Not at Home”, two pieces with a classical inclination featuring saxophonist Peter Gordon. The LP “Vergessen”, published in 1982, included six works with several instruments, and started an evolutionary course in Mertens as a composer.

Mertens spent the summer of 1984 composing music for the theatre play “The Power of Theatrical Madness”, by Jan Fabré, which became highly controversial. The ensuing double LP “Maximizing the Audience” was released in the spring of 1985. The music of “Maximizing” had a narrative quality which marked the evolution from instrumental to vocal songs and highlighted a growing interest in the human voice. Well aware of the corrupt condition which language has at times, here Mertens creates the vocal part with non-semantic sounds which remind of Old French or Latin. The atmosphere of spirituality which these pieces suggest is comparable to Gregorian chant. “Maximizing the Audience” was first presented at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The following year of 1986, saw the release of “A Man of No Fortune and with a Name to Come”, six pieces for solo piano and voice. This release was associated with concerts in France, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Japan, the United States and Britain.

After his concerts in New York, Los Angeles and Houston, the specialised label Windham Hill published a compilation for the American market. Shortly thereafter, the British film-maker Peter Greenaway asked him to compose the soundtrack for his motion picture “The Belly of an Architect”, which was filmed in Rome. The director chose four older pieces in addition to those specifically composed for the film.

In 2000, after the previous year’s landmark release of the trilogy ”Integer Valor-Intégrale”, which contained what Wim Mertens had composed in the last 5 years, two new works were published, one of which, “If I Can”, published in February, featured older compositions, now released in a new and original fashion.

In 2001 a new edition of “At Home/Not at Home” was published, as well as the project “Arens Lezen”, containing 13 CDs in a 4-box format, which included some of his purest music -songs gathered in his journey towards the essence of music.

And also in 2001 “Der Heisse Brei”, Wim Mertens’ sixth album came out, with compositions for piano and voice only; this work and musical arrangement would appear in his following tour. This work was a melodious one, of great beauty, in which the voice is –more than ever- a touching instrument. Always delicate and respectful, Mertens’ music flows here in a natural, almost organic way.

In December 2003, Wim Mertens’ penultimate international album came out: “Skopos”. "Skopos" was premiered on July 14, 2002 at Gaasbeek castle, Belgium. It was performed by the Wim Mertens Ensemble, totalling 12 musicians. In the studio version, the composer explores new musical aspects.

Skopos is a Greek word which means "to attain", "to reach a goal", or "a music line followed by the melody". The album refers to what can be seen, what can be heard by us, everything which may be heard or performed, which is “within our reach”. Meanwhile, the deep resonance and tones of the compositions refer to what “we cannot reach”, all which is not palpable, which is not necessarily visible, perceptible or audible, things which are "out of reach" to us.

In 2005, on the 25th anniversary of his career (1980-2005), Wim Mertens invites us to a journey around his orchestral perception. "Un Respiro", Mertens’ new solo album, presents 10 new compositions, often very rhythmical, composed for two pianos and two voices, all of them performed by himself. "Un respiro" shows Mertens’ passion for the voice, not only as an instrument but as a guide for the piano, in a continuing search of the maximum expressiveness. And he shows that, today, composition can be closely linked to performance art, and how performance art and music interpretation can be combined to create a unique experience.
Moreover after presenting in 2006 his latest album, "Partes Extra Partes", and his amazing new live show, Wim Mertens Ensemble!