What power, precision, skill (sorry for the masculine word), musicality and spontaneity. It seems so effortless what the ladies do, singing an entire programme by heart and playing a spirited piano part that seamlessly matched the lyrics and unpacked where it could. The recitation was intense and gave us goosebumps at times.
What we heard was a very original and varied programme with the theme ‘Excludable Femininity’. The woman as a young girl in If no one ever marries me, the assertive woman in Heidenröslein, the woman in captivity - a song by composer Ethel Smyth, who fought for women's rights - the woman as a mother by Robert Schumann, the woman in search of a partner in Heiratsannonce of Hanns Eisler, not to mention the woman as a lover, as a streetwalker, a victim of drowning or the woman whose husband did not allow her to compose. The flawless explanation of the songs in English was much appreciated.
These were different times, but it all sounded very topical in the year of women, which is also slowly gaining proper traction in Rotterdam.
Finally, something about a Dutch Sinterklaas tradition for our foreign guests: children must first sing a song and then they are allowed to take a present from the bag. With a bit of bad luck, they end up in the sack. Julia and Sofi had already let us enjoy their songs to the full, so there was no need for that singing. However, they couldn't resist playing a nice encore anyway: Cradle Gala of Ilse Weber. Then they reached into the burlap bag. Inside the pretty package were almond bars and thick speculaas chunks with almonds from the best Saint from Rotterdam
Marianne van den Heuvel
contact person Rotterdam region
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