IU Jacobs School of Music presents Dutch reed quintet Calefax
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 9, 2012
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music will present Amsterdam-based reed quintet Calefax in concert on Wednesday, Feb. 29, at 7 p.m. in Auer Hall.
Established 25 years ago, the Calefax Reed Quintet is in great demand worldwide, not least because of its unique instrumentation. The five musicians arrange, recompose and interpret music from eight centuries--including early music, classical, jazz and world premieres--to suit their unique constellation.
"Calefax enjoys a well-deserved following in Europe due to its virtuoso technique, stunning ensemble abilities, inviting and challenging repertoire, and fun, relaxed rapport with the audience," said William Ludwig, professor of bassoon and chair of the Jacobs Department of Woodwinds. "Bloomington has not seen a show like this in quite a while, and I hope everyone will take advantage of this unique opportunity."
The Feb. 29 program will include Debussy's "Suite Bergamesque," Grieg's "Aus Holberg's Zeit,"
Shostakovich's Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 and J. S. Bach's "Goldberg Variations, BWV 988."
The ensemble will also offer a master class on Thursday, March 1, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in Recital Hall.
Both the concert and the master class are free and open to the public.
The quintet comprises Oliver Boekhoorn, oboe; Ivar Berix, clarinet; Raaf Hekkema, saxophone; Jelte Althuis, bass clarinet; and Alban Wesly, bassoon.
About Calefax
The Amsterdam-based ensemble has won a number of prestigious prizes and can be heard frequently throughout Europe, as well as in Russia, China, India, Turkey, Japan and the United Stated. The Times (U.K.) has called the group "five extremely gifted Dutch gents who almost made the reed quintet seem the best musical format on the planet."
The current Calefax season includes tours in the United States, Japan and South-Africa and several prestigious venues, including London's Wigmore Hall, Germany's Wittener Tage für Neue Musik, Belgium's Bach Academy Brugge and Antwerp's De Singel, among others.
Past season highlights include "Music & Image," a program in which the five Calefax musicians are accompanied on stage by movable projection screens for which accompanying video material has been specially developed; a collaboration with the New York-based composer Nico Muhly and Dutch rising star soprano Lenneke Ruiten, with concerts in Netherland's Concertgebouw, in Belgium and in England's Wigmore Hall; the "Scherpdenkers" series with Rob Riemen, director of the highly respected Nexus Institut, at Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw Frits Philips, Eindhoven; the "Far East Revisited" project with jazz trio Jungle Boldie at Amsterdam's Muziekgebouw and Leidse's Jazz Week; and a concert in the Donderdagavondserie Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam, with world premieres of works by Carola Bauckholt, Klas Torstensson and Yannis Kyriakides.
Calefax has released 16 recordings for the renowned German label MDG, as well as for their own label, Rioja Records, each garnering rave reviews from the international press. Two recent recordings featured CalefaXL (Calefax Extra Large), for which Calefax was expanded to 12 reed players. The Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant wrote "CalefaXL juggles with notes and keeps these in the air in a grand manner." And Lonneke Regter applauded, "as CalefaXL, the 12 reed players shone ... with new compositions and inventive arrangements."
Calefax Reed Quintet has enjoyed collaborations with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, trombonist Christian Lindberg, mezzo-soprano Cora Burggraaf, Jungle Boldie (formerly the Tony Overwater Trio), trumpet player Marco Blaauw, percussionist Arnold Marinissen, Zapp String Quartet, clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, violinist Claude Chalhoub, jazz singers Denise Jannah and Astrid Seriese, and choreographer Sanne van der Put.
In 2004, Calefax started publishing (for online sale) its most successful arrangements in the Calefax Edition. As a result, several reed quintets have been formed all over the world.
Through master classes and workshops, the Calefax musicians pass on their specific ways of working and musical experiences to new generations.
For musicians as well as composers, for audiences and press alike, Calefax continues to be an inspiring chamber music laboratory.
