Kraakhelder

Please Note: Unfortunately, due to circumstances, this concert has been cancelled and will be postponed.

Kraakhelder (”so bright that it cracks”) perfectly describes the sound of the Hardanger fiddle: a Norwegian violin with no less than eight strings. With so much extra resonance, the instrument lavishly echoes over the Scandinavian mountains and valleys. The debut CD of violinist Jellantsje de Vries was created entirely around this instrument and its many traditions, by which she has always been deeply inspired. Together with pianist Bobby Mitchell, she presents a rich and personal programme filled with music that is connected to the Hardanger fiddle in one way or the other: be it by sound colour, harmony, rhythm or traditional dances. The central piece in this programme is a new work by her own father, Klaas de Vries, written especially for her with the Hardanger fiddle in mind. For also the “normal” violin is exposed to Scandinavian spirits in this nostalgic document, in which Jellantsje embarks on a quest for a certain “Ur”-music: back to the source, where sound, rhythm, expression and improvisation fuse into one.

Jellantsje de Vries is one of The Netherlands' most versatile violinists of her generation. She moves effortlessly from chamber music and soloist work to theatre, dance and visual arts, collaborating with numerous conductors, ensembles and composers such as Asko|Schönberg, Insomnio, Reinbert de Leeuw, Louis Andriessen and contemporary dance company LeineRoebana.

Jellantsje de Vries violin
Bobby Mitchell piano

Programme:
Rotnheims-Knut Tradional
Ruth Crawford Seeger Sonata for violin and piano (1926)
Carl Nielsen Preludio e presto for violin solo (1928)
Klaas de Vries Terug…opnieuw beginnen (2012)
John Cage Nocturne (1947)