januari 2009 – ‘Early music’? Bollocks, music old and new of all ages…
Eight years ago, after a twenty year career as a recorder trio, La Fontegara Amsterdam played its last concert (on February 2nd, 2002, at 20.20, to be precise) in the Walonian Church in Amsterdam. But encouraged by the enthusiasm of concert organizers and presenters, and enriched by subsequent years of concert experience, La Fontegara (Saskia Coolen, Peter Holtslag and Han Tol) is now back again with a reunion tour that spans Europe (Holland, Germany and Austria) and Asia (Korea). I witnessed the tour’s kick-off concert in Bunnik, Holland (near Utrecht) in the beautiful Reformed Church there (this beautiful building has an extremely effective acoustic, especially for a set of recorders).
As always, their playing was stunning. I have never heard recorder players, or in fact rarely any players, perform so virtuosely bright, so collectively bouncy and lyrical, and in all… so beautiful! Three strong musical personalities, in stylistic unison with each other and with the diverse repertoire. I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially when they played two of the pieces that I had the honour once to write for them: the lyrical Bye bye, blues (C-U, Jesus), and Kadanza, according to Han Tol ‘the world’s most often performed recorder trio’.
On their tour they will also play the dramatic and Old Testamental So Tear.
It seemed to me that their present performance is again an improvement on the recording they made a decade ago.
‘Early music’? Bollocks, new music of all ages.
Do have a look at the websites of Saskia Coolen and Peter Holtslag!
