Holidays do well! We had the experience once more. Just letting go of everything. Almost no screens, because WiFi was mostly not available. But beautiful flowers, lakes, mountains and forests and lovely little towns with half-timbered houses all around!
Salzburg
Gérard visited Salzburg for the Gala-concert with his other singer. They still are “in heaven”. They have been able to hear and see the worlds greatest singers!
Eric and me arrived in Bad Schussenried, after crossing the Black Forest. Here we were had a guided tour in the impressive Convent and its Library. This really filled our baroque loving hearts.
Bad Schussenried
Then, after visiting the Bodensee and the magnificent flower island Mainau and passing Salzburg, we arrived at Sankt Gilgen, on the shores of the Wolfgangsee. Here you can visit, amongst others, the Mozart Haus.
Sankt Gilgen
And there was the Zwölferhorn, a mountain with WiFi and a rocking chair, on which I could medidate, looking out over the mountain landscape. How spoilt can you get?
Marijke and her family recharged briefly in France, where they celebrated “14 juillet“.
Just another road side in Freudenstadt.
We have started our repititions again. In the company of a young audience sometimes, because of the summer holidays. And they raise interesting questions …
Please don’t forget to make your reservations for the world premiere of “Chants d’Ardenne” in time! You can be part of this event in which poems by Jacques Perk will be performed, put to music by Peter Visser.
On Saterday 5 and Sunday 6 October 2019 at 15.30 hrs, the concert will take place in Hotel Floréal in La Roche en Ardenne.
“I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost… I am helpless. It isn’t my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.
I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don’t see it. I fall in again. I can’t believe I am in the same place. But, it isn’t my fault. It still takes me a long time to get out.
I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in. It’s a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately.
I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.
I walk down another street.”
This might be a text of “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying”.
Next week there will be no blog. We will enjoy our holidays!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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 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!
