Armed with a blue festival wristband, visitors gained access to the escalators of Tivoli Vredenburg in Utrecht. Heading to the sixth floor where the Dutch Harp Festival kicked off on May 7 and 8, 2022. Around the theme 'from origins to the future,' visitors could discover all sorts of manifestations of the harp instrument.
Upon arrival, the festival opened in the Pandora Hall. The audience stood among various mini-stages set up throughout the space. Each stage came to life in turn, with a short preview performed by an artist from the lineup. Performances that stood out for their originality included Maryna Krut (vocals & bandura), Remy van Kesteren and Myron Hamming (harp & spoken word), and World Harp Competition participant Julie Rokseth with Andreas Rokseth (folk harp & bandoneon).
Many visitors (including myself in heels) hadn't accounted for the standing format of the opening and many other concerts during the festival. Artistic director Remy van Kesteren is a fan of a hall in motion, but perhaps took it a step too far here. Several times, bewildered visitors stood uncertainly at the entrance to the hall, looking for a suitable spot, because they couldn't stand for long periods or couldn't sit on a cushion on the floor.
Andrew Lawrence King & The Harp Consort brought a program focused on composer Turlough O'Carolan, one of Ireland's most renowned harpers. With influences from both the Baroque dance forms of continental Europe and Irish melodies, the audience was swept along. A shame was that Andrew Lawrence King's special historical harp sometimes faded into the background. When suddenly the Baroque guitarist put on a hat and began dancing in traditional style, the audience really loosened up. In between, the story of O'Carolan was told, a man who had weathered many challenges in life. Moving on to Mazaher, an ensemble from Cairo that keeps the tradition of the Zaar alive. Zaar is a ceremony led by women that induces a trance to calm the spirits. The tanbura, a 6-string harp originating in Ethiopia, set the repetitive rhythms. The muffled sound of the tanbura combined with singing, dance, drums, and tambourine created a feeling of 'hypnosis.' It must be difficult for musicians to maintain this without falling into a trance themselves. Suddenly the tanbura player handed his instrument to his colleague and put on a sort of bell skirt. He began dancing rhythmically with it, using his entire body as a musical instrument.
Uno Vesje (2021 World Harp Competition winner) + Vokal Vivo Choir impressed with '736 million women,' in which he draws attention to domestic violence. A women's choir stood in a semicircle on stage with Vesje on harp in the center. The first part, 'facts and figures,' made an immediate deep impression. Different choir members took turns singing the harsh facts. Throughout the sections, different stages were addressed, and in the penultimate part 'seven attempts,' listeners were made aware of the complexity with texts such as 'I need to get out' and 'I am destroying myself,' 'Help me be free.' Maryna Krut came from Kyiv and took the stage with enormous presence. Krut plugged in her bandura and explained that she would perform both her own work and traditional Ukrainian songs.Krut's voice in combination with her bandura, which she held almost like a child on her lap, was deeply moving. Particularly the song that her mother used to sing to her before bed was very touching, along with her message for peace.
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The Rwandan Sophie Nzayisenga, dressed in a beautiful silver glitter gown, performed a recital on her Inanga. She learned to play it from her father, who was a renowned master of the instrument. The Inanga was originally played only by men, and Nzayisenga is the first female Inanga maestro, something that didn't go unnoticed and caused a stir with some. The Inanga is an oval-shaped wooden instrument with strings stretched across it; the shape is somewhat reminiscent of a small wakeboard. Nzayisenga progressively expanded with all sorts of rhythms and the audience swayed along with her. She saved the finale for last—a poem about her father accompanied by Inanga rhythms, truly impressive.
Maryna Krut was uit Kiev overgekomen, en betrad met een enorme présence het podium. Krut plugde haar bandura in en vertelde dat ze zowel eigen werk als traditioneel Oekraïense liederen zou brengen.
Kruts stem in combinatie met haar bandura, die ze bijna als een kindje op haar schoot vasthield, ontroerde. Vooral het nummer wat vroeger door haar moeder werd gezongen voor het slapen gaan, was erg aangrijpend, tezamen met haar boodschap voor vrede.
De Rwandese Sophie Nzayisenga gekleed in een prachtig zilver glittergewaad, speelde een recital op haar Inanga. Ze leerde het bespelen van haar vader, hij was een bekendheid op het instrument. De Inanga werd oorspronkelijk enkel door mannen bespeeld en Nzayisenga is de eerste vrouwelijke Inanga maestro, iets wat niet onopgemerkt bleef en bij sommigen tot ophef leidde.
De Inanga is een ovaalvormig houten instrument, met snaren erlangs gespannen, de vorm heeft iets weg van een klein wake board. Nzayisenga pakte steeds verder uit met allerlei ritmes en het publiek deinde met haar mee. De uitsmijter bewaarde ze voor het laatst, een gedicht over haar vader begeleid met ritmes van de Inanga, zeer indrukwekkend.
As a grand finale, the final of the World Harp Competition, a competition where every semi-finalist could have presented themselves during the festival. The three finalists selected by the jury were Julie Rokseth (folk harp & bandoneon), Maria sa Silva (fado on harp), and Juanjo Corbalán (Paraguayan harp).
During the jury deliberation, artistic director Remy van Kesteren took us on a brief journey into the future with his 'robot orchestra'.
An impressive machine had been built around his gigantic Harp 49, which he could operate with his feet. It required quite a bit of coordination—at its peak moments, van Kesteren had one hand on the harp, the other on keys, and his feet were busy working the pedals of both the harp and the robots. He explained the workings of the robots with great passion. It was clear to see and hear that he had found his true calling in this.
Then came the announcement of the winner: Juanjo Corbalán. After all these impressions, a successful edition of the Dutch Harp Festival—here's to the next one in 2024!
WHAT: Dutch Harp Festival
WHERE: TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht
WHEN: Saturday May 7 and Sunday May 8, 2022
© Jelmer de Haas
© Jelmer de Haas
© Jelmer de Haas
© Jelmer de Haas
© Jelmer de Haas
© Jelmer de Haas
© Jelmer de Haas
© Jelmer de Haas
© Jelmer de Haas
© Jelmer de Haas
© Jelmer de Haas
© Jelmer de Haas
