A song CD on which not a word is sung, that is Silent Dreams, the personal new album of cellist Harriet Krijgh. Her second CD for Deutsche Grammophon contains songs from Schubert and Schumann to Poulenc and Rachmaninov, the lyrics are in the booklet, but it is Krijgh she sings with her cello, accompanied by pianist Magda Amara. “This CD had to be removed,” says Krijgh. “It’s kind of a diary of who I am now.”
It was “an eventful year,” Krijgh says over the phone. Not only did the corona pandemic wipe out her concert agenda, in May her string quartet, the world famous Artemis, known to stop indefinitely. The exact reasons remain somewhat vague. “It went unexpectedly fast,” says Krijgh. “The quartet has filled my whole life for the past three years, but our paths have diverged. The decision was made without drama, without arguing. But we had to have a break. It’s fine this way.”
She currently lives alternately in Berlin and Vienna, but is considering giving up her home in Berlin, the home of Artemis. Despite the disappearance of the quartet, Krijgh speaks of “a full autumn with beautiful projects”. Last week she played again in Leipzig with the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Andris Nelsons Triple concert (2018) that Gubaidulina co-wrote for her. She also plays a lot of chamber music, like Tuesday evening in the Concertgebouw, with permanent piano partner Amara and violinist Candida Thompson.
Also read: ‘Swan-like’ Krijgh leaves its mark on IKFU opening night
Total Dedication
Krijgh has been part of Artemis since 2018, which has belonged to the world top for decades. In the previous two years she was artistic director of the International Chamber Music Festival Utrecht, where she succeeded violinist Janine Jansen. Despite the positive response from the public and criticism, Krijgh only stayed in Utrecht for a short time: two festival editions.
“The quartet came at just the right time for me. It was the best thing that could have happened to me then and I learned a lot in those three years. The Artemis is not a quartet that occasionally rehearses and then plays some concerts: we met almost every day, whenever we could, and worked very hard. That way of working, the total dedication, is the ultimate goal for me: to get away from the surface and into the depths. I even think that this experience made me a different person.”
This CD had to come out. It’s kind of a diary of who I am now
The CD project had been in her head for much longer, but looking back, the intensity of her work stems from her period at Artemis. The silence in the title indicates “quiet feelings.” Feelings for which there is often little attention in daily life, while they are close to the core for someone like Krijgh, who describes himself as “a modest person.” When she speaks, you feel a vulnerability, emotions that are difficult to put into words. Krijgh: “This music and these lyrics express that. In addition to all the gigantic masterpieces that have been written for cello, I also find this a strength: music that goes inwards.”
The ultimate goal
The battle towards internalization is closely related to the corona year, but the art of song has been close to Krijgh from an early age. She had a German grandmother who sang these kind of songs to her. At the age of thirteen Krijgh also moved to Vienna to study the cello, where many of the writers and composers on her album lived, and where she came into contact with singers herself. “That determined what I want on my instrument: being able to let go of the cello so much that the instrument has become a part of you.”
In her preparation, she also acted as a singer, carefully analyzing the lyrics, the pronunciation, the meaning: “I wanted not only to play a beautiful melody, but to get to the heart of it.”
Wouldn’t she rather be a singer then? Krijgh laughs: “I am very happy to be a cellist!”
Harriet Krijgh (cello), Magda Amara (piano): Silent Dreams (Deutsche Grammophon)
A version of this article also appeared in NRC in the morning of October 5, 2021
A song CD on which not a word is sung, that is Silent Dreams, the personal new album of cellist Harriet Krijgh. Her second CD for Deutsche Grammophon contains songs from Schubert and Schumann to Poulenc and Rachmaninov, the lyrics are in the booklet, but it is Krijgh she sings with her cello, accompanied by pianist Magda Amara. “This CD had to be removed,” says Krijgh. “It’s kind of a diary of who I am now.”
It was “an eventful year,” Krijgh says over the phone. Not only did the corona pandemic wipe out her concert agenda, in May her string quartet, the world famous Artemis, known to stop indefinitely. The exact reasons remain somewhat vague. “It went unexpectedly fast,” says Krijgh. “The quartet has filled my whole life for the past three years, but our paths have diverged. The decision was made without drama, without arguing. But we had to have a break. It’s fine this way.”
She currently lives alternately in Berlin and Vienna, but is considering giving up her home in Berlin, the home of Artemis. Despite the disappearance of the quartet, Krijgh speaks of “a full autumn with beautiful projects”. Last week she played again in Leipzig with the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Andris Nelsons Triple concert (2018) that Gubaidulina co-wrote for her. She also plays a lot of chamber music, like Tuesday evening in the Concertgebouw, with permanent piano partner Amara and violinist Candida Thompson.
Also read: ‘Swan-like’ Krijgh leaves its mark on IKFU opening night
Total Dedication
Krijgh has been part of Artemis since 2018, which has belonged to the world top for decades. In the previous two years she was artistic director of the International Chamber Music Festival Utrecht, where she succeeded violinist Janine Jansen. Despite the positive response from the public and criticism, Krijgh only stayed in Utrecht for a short time: two festival editions.
“The quartet came at just the right time for me. It was the best thing that could have happened to me then and I learned a lot in those three years. The Artemis is not a quartet that occasionally rehearses and then plays some concerts: we met almost every day, whenever we could, and worked very hard. That way of working, the total dedication, is the ultimate goal for me: to get away from the surface and into the depths. I even think that this experience made me a different person.”
This CD had to come out. It’s kind of a diary of who I am now
The CD project had been in her head for much longer, but looking back, the intensity of her work stems from her period at Artemis. The silence in the title indicates “quiet feelings.” Feelings for which there is often little attention in daily life, while they are close to the core for someone like Krijgh, who describes himself as “a modest person.” When she speaks, you feel a vulnerability, emotions that are difficult to put into words. Krijgh: “This music and these lyrics express that. In addition to all the gigantic masterpieces that have been written for cello, I also find this a strength: music that goes inwards.”
The ultimate goal
The battle towards internalization is closely related to the corona year, but the art of song has been close to Krijgh from an early age. She had a German grandmother who sang these kind of songs to her. At the age of thirteen Krijgh also moved to Vienna to study the cello, where many of the writers and composers on her album lived, and where she came into contact with singers herself. “That determined what I want on my instrument: being able to let go of the cello so much that the instrument has become a part of you.”
In her preparation, she also acted as a singer, carefully analyzing the lyrics, the pronunciation, the meaning: “I wanted not only to play a beautiful melody, but to get to the heart of it.”
Wouldn’t she rather be a singer then? Krijgh laughs: “I am very happy to be a cellist!”
Harriet Krijgh (cello), Magda Amara (piano): Silent Dreams (Deutsche Grammophon)
A version of this article also appeared in NRC in the morning of October 5, 2021
A song CD on which not a word is sung, that is Silent Dreams, the personal new album of cellist Harriet Krijgh. Her second CD for Deutsche Grammophon contains songs from Schubert and Schumann to Poulenc and Rachmaninov, the lyrics are in the booklet, but it is Krijgh she sings with her cello, accompanied by pianist Magda Amara. “This CD had to be removed,” says Krijgh. “It’s kind of a diary of who I am now.”
It was “an eventful year,” Krijgh says over the phone. Not only did the corona pandemic wipe out her concert agenda, in May her string quartet, the world famous Artemis, known to stop indefinitely. The exact reasons remain somewhat vague. “It went unexpectedly fast,” says Krijgh. “The quartet has filled my whole life for the past three years, but our paths have diverged. The decision was made without drama, without arguing. But we had to have a break. It’s fine this way.”
She currently lives alternately in Berlin and Vienna, but is considering giving up her home in Berlin, the home of Artemis. Despite the disappearance of the quartet, Krijgh speaks of “a full autumn with beautiful projects”. Last week she played again in Leipzig with the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Andris Nelsons Triple concert (2018) that Gubaidulina co-wrote for her. She also plays a lot of chamber music, like Tuesday evening in the Concertgebouw, with permanent piano partner Amara and violinist Candida Thompson.
Also read: ‘Swan-like’ Krijgh leaves its mark on IKFU opening night
Total Dedication
Krijgh has been part of Artemis since 2018, which has belonged to the world top for decades. In the previous two years she was artistic director of the International Chamber Music Festival Utrecht, where she succeeded violinist Janine Jansen. Despite the positive response from the public and criticism, Krijgh only stayed in Utrecht for a short time: two festival editions.
“The quartet came at just the right time for me. It was the best thing that could have happened to me then and I learned a lot in those three years. The Artemis is not a quartet that occasionally rehearses and then plays some concerts: we met almost every day, whenever we could, and worked very hard. That way of working, the total dedication, is the ultimate goal for me: to get away from the surface and into the depths. I even think that this experience made me a different person.”
This CD had to come out. It’s kind of a diary of who I am now
The CD project had been in her head for much longer, but looking back, the intensity of her work stems from her period at Artemis. The silence in the title indicates “quiet feelings.” Feelings for which there is often little attention in daily life, while they are close to the core for someone like Krijgh, who describes himself as “a modest person.” When she speaks, you feel a vulnerability, emotions that are difficult to put into words. Krijgh: “This music and these lyrics express that. In addition to all the gigantic masterpieces that have been written for cello, I also find this a strength: music that goes inwards.”
The ultimate goal
The battle towards internalization is closely related to the corona year, but the art of song has been close to Krijgh from an early age. She had a German grandmother who sang these kind of songs to her. At the age of thirteen Krijgh also moved to Vienna to study the cello, where many of the writers and composers on her album lived, and where she came into contact with singers herself. “That determined what I want on my instrument: being able to let go of the cello so much that the instrument has become a part of you.”
In her preparation, she also acted as a singer, carefully analyzing the lyrics, the pronunciation, the meaning: “I wanted not only to play a beautiful melody, but to get to the heart of it.”
Wouldn’t she rather be a singer then? Krijgh laughs: “I am very happy to be a cellist!”
Harriet Krijgh (cello), Magda Amara (piano): Silent Dreams (Deutsche Grammophon)
A version of this article also appeared in NRC in the morning of October 5, 2021
A song CD on which not a word is sung, that is Silent Dreams, the personal new album of cellist Harriet Krijgh. Her second CD for Deutsche Grammophon contains songs from Schubert and Schumann to Poulenc and Rachmaninov, the lyrics are in the booklet, but it is Krijgh she sings with her cello, accompanied by pianist Magda Amara. “This CD had to be removed,” says Krijgh. “It’s kind of a diary of who I am now.”
It was “an eventful year,” Krijgh says over the phone. Not only did the corona pandemic wipe out her concert agenda, in May her string quartet, the world famous Artemis, known to stop indefinitely. The exact reasons remain somewhat vague. “It went unexpectedly fast,” says Krijgh. “The quartet has filled my whole life for the past three years, but our paths have diverged. The decision was made without drama, without arguing. But we had to have a break. It’s fine this way.”
She currently lives alternately in Berlin and Vienna, but is considering giving up her home in Berlin, the home of Artemis. Despite the disappearance of the quartet, Krijgh speaks of “a full autumn with beautiful projects”. Last week she played again in Leipzig with the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Andris Nelsons Triple concert (2018) that Gubaidulina co-wrote for her. She also plays a lot of chamber music, like Tuesday evening in the Concertgebouw, with permanent piano partner Amara and violinist Candida Thompson.
Also read: ‘Swan-like’ Krijgh leaves its mark on IKFU opening night
Total Dedication
Krijgh has been part of Artemis since 2018, which has belonged to the world top for decades. In the previous two years she was artistic director of the International Chamber Music Festival Utrecht, where she succeeded violinist Janine Jansen. Despite the positive response from the public and criticism, Krijgh only stayed in Utrecht for a short time: two festival editions.
“The quartet came at just the right time for me. It was the best thing that could have happened to me then and I learned a lot in those three years. The Artemis is not a quartet that occasionally rehearses and then plays some concerts: we met almost every day, whenever we could, and worked very hard. That way of working, the total dedication, is the ultimate goal for me: to get away from the surface and into the depths. I even think that this experience made me a different person.”
This CD had to come out. It’s kind of a diary of who I am now
The CD project had been in her head for much longer, but looking back, the intensity of her work stems from her period at Artemis. The silence in the title indicates “quiet feelings.” Feelings for which there is often little attention in daily life, while they are close to the core for someone like Krijgh, who describes himself as “a modest person.” When she speaks, you feel a vulnerability, emotions that are difficult to put into words. Krijgh: “This music and these lyrics express that. In addition to all the gigantic masterpieces that have been written for cello, I also find this a strength: music that goes inwards.”
The ultimate goal
The battle towards internalization is closely related to the corona year, but the art of song has been close to Krijgh from an early age. She had a German grandmother who sang these kind of songs to her. At the age of thirteen Krijgh also moved to Vienna to study the cello, where many of the writers and composers on her album lived, and where she came into contact with singers herself. “That determined what I want on my instrument: being able to let go of the cello so much that the instrument has become a part of you.”
In her preparation, she also acted as a singer, carefully analyzing the lyrics, the pronunciation, the meaning: “I wanted not only to play a beautiful melody, but to get to the heart of it.”
Wouldn’t she rather be a singer then? Krijgh laughs: “I am very happy to be a cellist!”
Harriet Krijgh (cello), Magda Amara (piano): Silent Dreams (Deutsche Grammophon)
A version of this article also appeared in NRC in the morning of October 5, 2021