– Virgam Virtutis: comments

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On a regular basis we share videos of pieces we performed on YouTube. By now they’re quite a lot and they can be seen on the channel that Eric made (ericjvanderhorst). It also is a good moment to realise how vast our repertoire has become by now, especially knowing that not all we bring is published for viewing.

Virgam Virtutis, G.F. Haendel

We thought it might be interesting to share comments we receive from fellow viewers of a specific video, in this case the one of Virgam Virtutis by Haendel, which we performed during our Easter concert 2019 in La Roche-en-Ardenne.

Marie Elaine Henderson- Cleland: Another movingly beautiful example of the Trio Magma – and your spinning long phrases with immaculate breathing technique plus flexibility – a source of delight! What a lovely end to Sunday! Thank you for sharing this. Marie Miller

Astrid Kompier: Really sung very beautifully! And that last one, such a beautiful aria. (Eternal Source of Light Divine, MP) Thanks for posting it. You are an amazing trio. ( I tell her that the aria “Virgam Virtutis” always makes me happy, MP) Astrid: And you sing it in a beautiful way, that’s why it is so moving.

Louisa Heine and Gyde Knebusch: Beautifuuuuuuuul!

Easter concert 2019

Puck Puck: Great! And your voice is so well under control!!! It really was worth listening ot! To be honest, I rarely listen to this kind of music, but this really brought tears of emotion to my eyes!

Monique van der Hoeven: This is so beautiful, Marijke – the three of you are so well balanced and you really honour this aria with you wonderful warm voice! It made me happy!

Monique van Driel: You have a wonderful voice, Marijke. It all sounds really well together.

Trees Groothuis- Ter Huurne: Beautifully sung, Marijke. Such great music and song, gave me goose bumps.

Marie Elain Henderson- Cleland: Dearest  Marijke. Have already heard and commented on the beauty of this video on U-Tube. Just had another listen to it. Superb. Look forward to hearing more of that concert and to enjoying the Trio Magma. Sheer delight! Much love Mariexxxx Viva Trio Magmazzz

Caroline Destoop: Very very beautiful, Marijke

Easter concert 2019

Edwin Hinfelaar: A short reaction to your Virgam Virtutis. I definitely like the performance. You present this aria in a simple and fragile manner. I still have the feeling I am missing the essential atmosphere. As far as that is concerned, a recorded video/CD or YouTube film usually is a poor representation of the real thing. Listening to it a couple of times, the feeling remains “I should have been present”! It is great to also hear you refind each other if by accident you miss each other a bit on the way. Performing in a big space like this you need not only be technically well aligned musicians, but also your mental channels must be in full communication mode. Really well done.

The MaGMa Trio

Dear colleague singers, colleague musicians, friends in music, we, the members of the MaGMa Trio (Marijke Persijn mezzosoprano, Marijke Verbeeck flute and Gérard Lambert organ) thank you all for your kind comments! They really do well and give us inspiration!

If you would like to comment on any of our videos, we really would appreciate it!

Heartwarming musical greetings, Marijke Persijn.

– Announcement on “Ardenne Culture”

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Recently the announcement of our concerts on 5 and 6 october 2019 can also be viewed on the  Facebook page of  “Ardenne Culture”, which collects all news in the fields of art, culture, tourisme, social activities and local development in the Ardennes and displays them in a clear manner.

It’s a great pleasure to annouce a WORLD PREMIERE! Come and meet the poet Jacques Perk on 5 and 6 October in hotel Floréal in La Roche-en-Ardenne with the MaGMa Trio, Daisy Hoste and Marco Kalkman: an event you don’t want to miss!

Poster for the concert on Sunday 6 October

Information and reservations:

For Saturday 5 October 2019 at 15.30 hrs: bam.la.roche.info@gmail.com or through the MaGMa Trio site

For Sunday 6 October 2019 at 15.30 hrs: through the MaGMa Trio site

If you’d like to know more about the Dutch composer Peter Visser, who put the poems of Jacques Perk to music, please visit his site!

Enjoy this week!

Marijke Persijn

– Jacques Perk and the church of La Roche

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In last weeks blog I presented the poem “Castle in ruins”- “De Burcht in Puin” by the Dutch poet Jacques Perk. Today I’d like to present “Dorpsvesper”- “Vesper of the village”. Jacques loved La Roche, the old castle and the church!

For me the church of La Roche was my first local love. I remember well that my friend, composer/singer/harpsicord player and organist Marco Kalkman and I hiked above La Roche and descended towards this church. When we entered we were struck by its welcoming beauty and the play of coloured light on the floor and walls, caused by the sun shining through the stained glass windows. “If only we could give a concert in this place, one day …”.

Up to now, I was lucky to sing here on quite a few occasions: with the Quattuor, with harpist Gyde Knebusch, soprano Louisa Heine and organist Gérard Lambert; with the Larochante choir, conducted by Bernadeta Artym; with our MaGMa Trio on multiple occasions; with composer/organist Wouter Schults and with Gérard Lambert during a wedding ceremony.

Marco Kalkman will enforce our MaGMa Trio at the concerts we will gave during the BAM! festival on 5 and 6 october, here in La Roche. Though not in the Saint Nicolas church, the environment will be impressive as well: Hotel Floréal. As you know, within our concert of baroque music – pieces that share “Passion” as their theme, the red string that connects all activities of the festival – we will perform for the very first time the “Four Songs of the Ardennes” by the Dutch composer Peter Visser. Peter selected four poems by Jacques Perk from his Sonnet Circle “An Ideal” and put them to music.  

The church with the onion shaped bell tower as Jacques must have known it and the “hill with trees” to the right of it, the ruins of the castle, not yet excavated.

Dorpsvesper (LXXIV)

Heen is de dag – de nacht nog niet geboren,
En langs de bergen wasemt avond-dauw, –
De vogel laat een laatst geneurie hooren,
In roerlooze aandacht luistert de landouw:

De zwerver daalt, in zielsgepeins verloren,
In ‘t dal en naar ‘t gehucht van wit en grauw;
Daar klinken vrome tonen uit den toren, –
De star der liefde flonkert zilver-blauw:

Het kerkje bracht, wie danken wilden, samen,
En wierook en gezang golft uit de poort,
En op het dankgebed zegt alles: “amen” –

De zwerver schrijdt, in zoet gepeins, weêr voort:
Waar zooveel eens-gezinden samen-kwamen,
Daar sterft de haat, en wordt geen klacht gehoord.

La Roche without church and the Hotel du Nord where Jacques stayed in the days that it was owned by the Meunier brothers

O, how I love the way Jacques Perk paints with words, as does Peter Visser with his music. I hope you cal feel the atmosphere at least, though it is in Dutch, as I don’t dare to translate it, knowing that I would do no honour to the poet.

Saint Nicolas church today

In this blog you see some pictures from the book “Le Pays de La Roche” by Charles Nollomont: the church as Jacques must have seen it, the town without church and last, the church as we know it today.

Don’t forget to order your tickets for the concert of 6 October through “Tickets” in the Menu of this site!

Enjoy the week!

Marijke Persijn

The poster of our concert

– Love and Romance

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J.F.M. (Jacques) PERK
1859-1881

Our MaGMa Trio will take part in the BAM! festival 2019.

On Sunday 6 October we will give a concert in hotel Floréal in La Roche-en-Ardenne. We composed a lovely programme of baroque music around the theme “Passion”, the central theme of the festival, but we’ll also bring pieces of Dutch composers.

Peter Visser composed “Four Songs of the Ardens” using poems of Jacques Perk, who was of great importance to La Roche as was his father Marie Ardrien Perk . Please have a look at the Blogs “Marie Adrien Perk, his son Jacques and La Roche” and “Three composers: Lambert, Kalkman and Visser”.

Eric did a lot of research and me myself, I try to feel and understand these four poems and to learn them by heart. Jacques Perk was a very romantic youngster who really could be submerged, drowning almost in love. He transformed Mathilde, whom he met here in La Roche, into his Muse. Inspired by her, he wrote a cycle of one hundred sonnets, titled “An Ideal”. Featuring Mathilde – of course -, La Roche and nature. Today I present to you the poem “De Burcht in puin”- “Castle in ruins”. I really don’t know how to translate it, I would never be able to express myself properly, honouring the poet. But I’ll try to explain what the poem is about.

The ruins of the Castle of La Roche, seen from the Deister-mountain

LXVII 
De burcht in puin

De purpren scheemring houdt de burcht omvangen,

– De glimvlieg glanst in ‘t mos der muur, en blauwt, –

En met een gloed van liefde op rozewangen,

Schenkt zij den scheidenskus aan ‘t puin, dat grauwt. –

De krekel sjirpt van weelderig verlangen,

En de echo van het puin, die ‘t antwoord bauwt,

Noodt den geliefde met die schrille zangen,

Die aanzweeft op een wiek van rossig goud:

En waar, voor eeuwen, ridderzangen klonken,

Staart nù de star der liefde ‘t zwijgen aan,

En droevig zendt ze uit schemerblauw heur lonken:

En weemoed fluistert zacht door de espenblaên….

De zwerver treurt, in mijmerij verzonken,

Dat het verleden is voorbij-gegaan….

La Roche-en-Ardenne, end 19th – early 20th century

The poem has a very gentil atmosphere. You see the ruins of the castle of La Roche-en-Ardenne, the sun is setting. The light is enchantingly violet. You hear the cricket and it’s song echoed by the ruins. Before, the Knights chanted there. Now you see the Star of Love, completely silent. Nostalgia whispers through the trembling leaves. The wanderer, submerged in his dreams, regrets that the past has passed …

The poster for our concert

Enjoy your week

Marijke Persijn

– “Nun beut die Flur” by Haydn

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The creation of the stars and the planets, painted by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) composed the oratorio “Die Schöpfung/The Creation” when he was 65 years of age. It is a work for choir, orchestra and soloists.

From this oratorio our MaGMa Trio performed the aria “Nun beut die Flur” during our concert in October 2017 in Dochamps. I always have loved this piece, even from the very moment that a fellow student at the Twente Conservatory in Enschede sung this. In the church of Gênes we also brought this aria.

We would like to celebrate spring with you and therefore we offer you today a video that Eric made of our concert in Dochamps. This year, snow on the 4th of May here in the Ardennes, apparently we need to remember our weather gods that May means Spring! Do enjoy this beautiful composition by Haydn!

If you’d like to read the tekst and its translation, follow this link to our blog of 30 september 2017.

Have a lovely week!

Marijke Persijn

– Larochante – MaGMa Trio – A Choeur Ouvert

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The month of April has been a month of beautiful concerts.

Larochante from La Roche-en-Ardenne

The 7th of April the choir Larochante, conducted by Bernadeta Artym, celebrated its 40th anniversary. They brought two great works composed by Karl Jenkins. Before the break we listened to the requiem, with a solo for a boy soprano in the “Pie Jesu”. It was funny to see that he sung this from the pulpit, the place from where Marijke Verbeeck would play her flute solo the week after, during our concert. Chapeau, young man, well done! His performance brought back sweet memories of the time that our son Kim was member of the boys choir of the Basilica of Oldenzaal in the Netherlands. After the break it was time for the Adiemus, completing an exceptional concert!

The week after this concert the church was open for our MaGMa Trio Easter Concert. We had put together a very interesting programme with pieces by Bach, Händel, Vivaldi, Pergolesi as well as the  “Je vous salue Marie” composed by our own Gérard Lambert. It was a mixture of sad, happy and modest music, very well received by the enthusiastic audience. They really had forgotten their daily worries en fully enjoyed our music and it was a pleasure to hear that from them! Last week we offered you the video of our opening aria “Eternal Source of Light Divine” by Handel. Today we provide the clip of our last aria of the concert, “Virgam virtutis” by the same composer (click on the link above please).

A Choeur Ouvert from Rendeux

Last night the choir A Choeur Ouvert from Rendeux celebrated its 20th anniversary. Beautiful bouquets of broom were placed at the entrance door as well as inside the church. Garlands were all around and we were offered a nice song accompanying a glass of “bubbly”. It was a real festive occasion and the programme was interesting as well, with before the pause songs performed by Octal Free Songs and after the pause A Choeur Ouvert. It was great fun and it was actually one big reunion, meeting so many people I know, like Father Body and Marie-Claire.

Spring is in the air!

We wish you a wonderful spring week!

Marijke Persijn

– Easter Concert MaGMa Trio in La Roche

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Such a beautiful Easter weekend this year, isn’t it? Everyone is enjoying it so much. Yesterday morning Eric and me were hosting a guided tour once again in the Wildlife Park in la Roche and even at 10 o’clock in the morning there was plenty of sunshine, making it all even more enjoyable for both visitors and ourselves.

And now it’s Easter and I can have my fresh orange juice in the sun on the border of “our” river!

Last week the outside circumstances were a lot harsher. It was pleasant for our audience to be indoors in our so beloved Saint Nicolas Church of La Roche while listening to our musical interpretations. Véronique, the sacristan, had prepared everything and had heated the church, a big thank you for this!

Some of our old friends and fans had to let us know that due to other obligations, they couldn’t make it to be present. But we made new friends and from them and our families and interested visitors we received enthusiastic reactions after the concert. That was so nice to hear and it made us very happy. It is good to hear people say that they were touched and that time flew by. That they could really let go of daily thoughts and worries and could let themselves be taken away by the music. That they could feel the emotions of the arias.

Eric has been so kind to edit a video of the aria “Eternal Source of Light Divine” by Handel. With this beautiful work we opened our concert. Some background about it you can read in our blog of 24 February 2019. We hope you’ll enjoy the video!

We, the MaGMa Trio and Eric, wish you a lovely Easter weekend!

Marijke Persijn

– To prepare for a concert

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Just two more nights … preparations in their last phase … almost ready …

We have written a number of blogs about the works we are going to bring, so you even can enjoy more what we are going to perform.

In order to facilitate your personal preparation for the concert, might you want to do so, please find below the programme once more, this time with the links to the blogs we have written. We hope it helps.

G.F.HAENDEL (1685-1759)
Eternal Source of Light Divine
Ode pour l’anniversaire de la Reine Anne (1713)

J.S. BACH (1685-1750)
Wie wohl mein Herz / Ich will dir mein Herze
Passion selon Saint Matthieu BWV 244

J.S. BACH (1685-1750)
Erbarme dich, mein Gott
Passion selon Saint Matthieu BWV 244

J.S. BACH (1685-1750)
Allemande
Partita pour flûte solo en la mineur BWV 1013

A. VIVALDI (1678-1743)
Domine Deus 
Gloria RV 589

A. VIVALDI (1678-1743)
Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris
Gloria RV 589

A. VIVALDI (1678-1743)
Cum dederit
Nisi Dominus RV 608

PAUSE

J.S. BACH (1685-1750)
Aria
Suite n° 3 en Ré Majeur BWV 1068

G. LAMBERT (1949)
Je vous salue, Marie
Air pour mezzo-soprano et flûte traversière

G.B. PERGOLESI (1710-1736)
Salve Regina
Ad te clamamus
Eia ergo advocata nostra
Et Jesum benedictum
O Virgo Maria

W. BOYCE (1711-1779)
Voluntary VII
pour orgue ou clavecin

G.F.HAENDEL (1685-1759)
Virgam virtutis
Dixit Dominus HW 232

See you Sunday 14 April 2019 at 16.00 hrs. in the Saint Nicolas church of La Roche-en-Ardenne!

Marijke Persijn