In 1985, Van Dijk returned to Europe with his wife Jeanne.
He spent a year focused on his compositions in Casares, Málaga, Spain after which he became composer in residence, taught piano and composition at Dartington Hall in Devon in the United Kingdom.
Van Dijk's Irish Symphony (1990) was commissioned for radio broadcast by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra to celebrate Dublin as the European Capital of Culture 1991 and was supported by the Dutch funding body, the Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst.
It received its broadcast from the National Concert Hall in Dublin with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Colman Pearce on Raidió Teilifís Éireann.
The European premiere of Four Epigrams for Symphony Orchestra (1962) was given September 25, 1993, with the Residentie Orchestra in The Hague conducted by Jac van Steen.
 The Piano Concerto (1994) was given its world premiere on May 22, 1996, by the North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra with Australian pianist Geoffrey Douglas Madge conducted by Viktor Liberman.
Maarten Brandt notes "Van Dijk’s brilliant Piano Concerto (also known as three Pieces for Piano and Orchestra) written for Bernard Jacobson, in which the melodic aspect is always primary and as a rule the harmony quickened by a pleasing melos."

In the United Kingdom, the Raphael Ensemble commissioned and gave the World premiere of his String Sextet in 1998 at the Brighton Festival, and in that same year British violinist Anthony Marwood commissioned and gave the World premiere of his Sonata for Violin and Piano at London's Wigmore Hall.
In 2003, Van Dijk's 70th Birthday Concert     was given in London's Purcell Room at the South Bank Centre  which included performances of his music by pianist Kyoko Hashimoto, the Dante Quartet, and the British tenor Ian Partridge who gave the World premiere of Van Dijk's Songs of the Tao te Ching.
Since then Anthony Marwood has performed his music a number of times on BBC Radio 3.
 In 2000,  classical Indian Bharatanatyam dancer Mayuri Boonham  commissioned Van Dijk The Triple Hymn based on a mantra from the Vedic literature to be performed on a UK tour and at the Spring Loaded Festival at the Place Theatre in London.
Maarten Brandt writes: "The Triple Hymn is a vibrant dance duet.
The music is written for cello, soprano, midrangam, tubular bell and gong, depicting a three-part manifestation of the Goddesses Gayatri, Savitri, and Sarasvati.
The work plays on a cross-cultural edge and explores valuable territory.
The score is rhythmically challenging, dynamically diverse and evocative."


As part of the International Chamber Music Series 2001 at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam,  Hyperion records artists the Florestan Trio   performed Van Dijk's Piano Trio (2001) which they especially commissioned for the Florestan Festival of Peasmarsh in East Sussex.

In 2002, Van Dijk was commissioned by the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker to write a large-scale work for baritone, full choir and orchestra to commemorate the German/Dutch pianist Karlrobert Kreiten.
Kreiten was hailed by the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler as one of the most talented pianists of his generation.
Kreiten's life and career were tragically cut short when a Nazi neighbour reported him to the Gestapo for making negative remarks about Adolf Hitler and the war effort.
He was arrested for treason by Nazi officers before a matinee performance of a Lizst Piano Concerto in Heidelberg.
Kreiten was condemned to death and executed by hanging at the Plötzensee prison in Berlin in 1943.
In 2003, Van Dijk spent the last year of his life completing the composition to be entitled Kreitens Passion, to text by German dramaturge Heinrich Riemenschneider.
Van Dijk lived to attend all three performances at the World premiere of Kreitens Passion in the Tonhalle Düsseldorf performed by the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, baritone Andreas Schmidt,  and the American conductor John Fiore in October 2003.
Van Dijk passed away a month later on November 29, 2003 in Peasmarsh, East Sussex.

Van Dijk is survived by his wife Jeanne Elisabeth Anna van Dijk- Ko
In 1985, Van Dijk returned to Europe with his wife Jeanne. He spent a year focused on his compositions in Casares, Málaga, Spain after which he became composer in residence, taught piano and composition at Dartington Hall in Devon in the United Kingdom. Van Dijk's Irish Symphony (1990) was commissioned for radio broadcast by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra to celebrate Dublin as the European Capital of Culture 1991 and was supported by the Dutch funding body, the Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst. It received its broadcast from the National Concert Hall in Dublin with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Colman Pearce on Raidió Teilifís Éireann. The European premiere of Four Epigrams for Symphony Orchestra (1962) was given September 25, 1993, with the Residentie Orchestra in The Hague conducted by Jac van Steen.  The Piano Concerto (1994) was given its world premiere on May 22, 1996, by the North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra with Australian pianist Geoffrey Douglas Madge conducted by Viktor Liberman. Maarten Brandt notes "Van Dijk’s brilliant Piano Concerto (also known as three Pieces for Piano and Orchestra) written for Bernard Jacobson, in which the melodic aspect is always primary and as a rule the harmony quickened by a pleasing melos." 
In the United Kingdom, the Raphael Ensemble commissioned and gave the World premiere of his String Sextet in 1998 at the Brighton Festival, and in that same year British violinist Anthony Marwood commissioned and gave the World premiere of his Sonata for Violin and Piano at London's Wigmore Hall. In 2003, Van Dijk's 70th Birthday Concert     was given in London's Purcell Room at the South Bank Centre  which included performances of his music by pianist Kyoko Hashimoto, the Dante Quartet, and the British tenor Ian Partridge who gave the World premiere of Van Dijk's Songs of the Tao te Ching. Since then Anthony Marwood has performed his music a number of times on BBC Radio 3.  In 2000,  classical Indian Bharatanatyam dancer Mayuri Boonham  commissioned Van Dijk The Triple Hymn based on a mantra from the Vedic literature to be performed on a UK tour and at the Spring Loaded Festival at the Place Theatre in London. Maarten Brandt writes: "The Triple Hymn is a vibrant dance duet. The music is written for cello, soprano, midrangam, tubular bell and gong, depicting a three-part manifestation of the Goddesses Gayatri, Savitri, and Sarasvati. The work plays on a cross-cultural edge and explores valuable territory. The score is rhythmically challenging, dynamically diverse and evocative." 

As part of the International Chamber Music Series 2001 at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam,  Hyperion records artists the Florestan Trio   performed Van Dijk's Piano Trio (2001) which they especially commissioned for the Florestan Festival of Peasmarsh in East Sussex.
In 2002, Van Dijk was commissioned by the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker to write a large-scale work for baritone, full choir and orchestra to commemorate the German/Dutch pianist Karlrobert Kreiten. Kreiten was hailed by the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler as one of the most talented pianists of his generation. Kreiten's life and career were tragically cut short when a Nazi neighbour reported him to the Gestapo for making negative remarks about Adolf Hitler and the war effort. He was arrested for treason by Nazi officers before a matinee performance of a Lizst Piano Concerto in Heidelberg. Kreiten was condemned to death and executed by hanging at the Plötzensee prison in Berlin in 1943. In 2003, Van Dijk spent the last year of his life completing the composition to be entitled Kreitens Passion, to text by German dramaturge Heinrich Riemenschneider. Van Dijk lived to attend all three performances at the World premiere of Kreitens Passion in the Tonhalle Düsseldorf performed by the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, baritone Andreas Schmidt,  and the American conductor John Fiore in October 2003. Van Dijk passed away a month later on November 29, 2003 in Peasmarsh, East Sussex.
Van Dijk is survived by his wife Jeanne Elisabeth Anna van Dijk- Ko
Rudi Martinus van Dijk