REMBRANDT FRERICHS BRINGS IMPROVISATION BACK TO CLASSICAL MUSIC

Pianist Rembrandt Frerichs has made a considerable name for himself in the current Dutch music scene, in which he makes exciting connections with world music, baroque and classical music. He was the first to introduce the fortepiano with the high-profile production 'The Contemporary Fortepiano' for Channel Classics. Frerichs seizes every possible musical adventure with both hands, and it is therefore no wonder that he was approached by viola player Michael Gieler of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra to write a piece for his 'IJ-Salon serie', a place where one can experiment to one's heart's content and break down musical barriers.

Together with the Alma Quartet (all strings of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra), double bassist Dominic Seldis and his regular percussionist Vinsent Planjer, Frerichs took an entirely new and unexpected path. He brought the improvisational element back into classical music: a practice that was common in the time of Mozart and Beethoven. Composers then wrote out their orchestral parts and came up with their solo parts during the performance. Frerichs follows this pattern in his first two piano concertos. He uses a 'black page' with prescribed notes for the strings and allows himself to be inspired by the moment from a 'white page' together with percussionist Planjer. The musical imagination is given free rein and because of this unusual starting point, each performance will be different.

If you taste anything in Frerichs' piano concertos, it's a freshness and spirit of renewal, like we found in the pioneers from the beginning of the last century: Ravel, Debussy, Gershwin, Bartok and Stravinsky. Of course, we also hear many elements from jazz, such as an infectious sense of timing and groove and the linear improvisations of the legendary Lennie Tristano. Frerichs succeeds convincingly in dissolving the boundaries between classical and improvised music. His music has a unique drive in which we again feel the authentic struggle between soloist and orchestra. It's an experience you'll want to witness live after listening to this unique album. Keep an eye on the concert calendars!