Tenor Door Van Bergen, just 18, and pianist Jef Kolacny, 22 years young, brought together for the first time a song recital that immediately went for the lied in full romanticism under the theme 'between dream and memory'.
Schumann, Brahms, Schubert and Wolf, they are not the least names among lied composers and it immediately raised the question: are these two musicians and especially the singer, not too young to be able to make this musically worthwhile? In the small acoustically dry hall of the sports center in Willebroek – actually an unsuitable hall, not only dry acoustically, but you hear too much the air conditioning running and you also hear the cheerfully cheering voices of sporting children in the hall next to the 'concert hall'. This makes it harder for the musicians to stay focused. Those who manage this with a smile and apparently undisturbed, prove to have the right genes of a soloist.
After nice coffee and croissants it was time for a smooth welcome speech and some explanation about the program, given in turn by both musicians. Already at the first sounds of piano and voice, attention was demanded and it would not weaken. Van Bergen's voice is still young, not yet fully developed in height, depth and volume, but you already hear many warm, full, carrying tenor tones that are very promising. It immediately made me a bit anxious: isn't it hubris on the part of the young enthusiastic singer to, yes indeed, bring Robert Schumann's collection Dichterliebe in full? With young singers there is always the risk of damaging one's own, unique and irreplaceable instrument. During the singing you feel that Van Bergen knows how to hold back, he has an excellent technique, his lungs certainly do not let him down, he has a very beautiful, clearly understandable German pronunciation and manages to bring the texts skillfully to life despite the existing limitations of the voice. It is by the way more than worth reading through the poems themselves. Far too often insufficient attention is paid to them. Here you can find them
Jef Kolacny came across as a pianist who has been accompanying lied singers for y e a r s. Transparent, nothing rushed, calm tempos, restrained and leading the singer whom he perfectly supports, broad phrasing in every respect. He gave Door's voice the necessary rest and let the audience enjoy an intermezzo by Johannes Brahms. In what can be more enchanting than romanticism in music, especially if the composition is of the highest standard and the performer is completely absorbed in it? You then long for more, but a program must simply continue. And that happened with 'An den Mond' by Franz Schubert. One of his hundreds of songs that he, alongside so many miles of other all brilliant scores, composed in his oh so short life. Once again Door Van Bergen managed to appreciate this musical jewel at its true worth in a fragile balance and so did Jef Kolacny. Both talents continued making music with the same élan with Schumann's Widmung followed by seven songs from Hugo Wolf's Italienisches Liederbuch.
Two young musicians, two promises with their nose in the same musical direction, with their heart in the right place, serving beauty that can leave no one untouched. We can only wish this young duo a musical career full of successes, successes that so often managed to transform the true story of composers and poets from romanticism into emotion, joy and sorrow in word and music.