PLEASE NOTE: Lavinia Meijer and Heiko Dijker will play this programme on 16 and 23 November.
If you want to order tickets before November 23rd, click here.
Lavinia goes India!
Harpist Lavinia Meijer has discovered a new musical world through her encounter with tabla player Heiko Dijker: that of traditional Indian music, the Ragas. Few musicians in the Netherlands are specialized in this classical music from India. Heiko Dijker is one of them. His playing is characterized by enthusiasm and great knowledge of Indian rhythms. In India he was praised by a prominent newspaper as "a global ambassador for classical Indian music". Moreover, Heiko Dijker is a virtuoso on the tabla, the most refined percussion instrument of the rich Indian culture. Enjoy Heiko and Lavinia: an evening of improvised music from India. But Lavinia and Heiko also make connections to Western classical music, including music by the English baroque composer Henry Purcell. Not an odd choice, because in some of his pieces Purcell also allowed himself to be charmed by music from exotic regions
Lavinia Meijer on the Indian raga:
"The raga is the classical music of India. It has many layers and is extremely complex, almost mathematical. The music contains all kinds of sequences and patterns, which can go on endlessly. They are calculated beforehand so that they coincide exactly. The music is very improvisational at the same time."
(Read the interview with Lavinia Meijer.)
Lavinia Meijer and Heiko Dijker
Harp and tabla form a unique and rarely heard combination. At the same time, her collaboration with Heiko is a logical consequence of her earlier projects with Philip Glass. Lavinia says: "When I went into Philip Glass's music, I discovered that he had been influenced by the Indian Ragas in his quest to develop his own style. His minimal music style originated largely from the approaches of the Ragas. That was the beginning of my curiosity about this music. Because Heiko, with a lot of patience, passion and dedication, introduced me to this fascinating and versatile music, a world opened up for me"
Heiko Dijker
Lavinia takes the world of Indian music with her in the person of tablet player Heiko Dijker. Heiko walked through India as an 18-year-old and learned to play tabla from an Indian teacher. After that he continued his studies at the Conservatory of Rotterdam, where a number of famous Indian tablet masters taught. The leading Indian newspaper The Hindu writes about Heiko Dijker: "Heiko is an ambassador of Indian classical music all over the world".
Soundbite: Heiko Dijker talks about Lavinia Meijer: "Lavinia is moving with her lyrical and virtuoso interpretations of the classic Indian Ragas. Last December we visited a number of top musicians in India and were inspired by mystical temples, colourful chaos and the beauty of India"
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harp tabla India wereldmuziek crossover slagwerk Henry Purcell Seizoen '18-'19 Lavinia Philip Glass Metamorphosis Dustin O'Halloran Filmmuziek soundtrack Lion