Intimate tones of Julija Hartig and Reineke Brookhans on Bemus

Intimate tones of Julia Hartig and Reineke Brookhans on Bemus

Written By Mirko Jeremić

23 Oct

The concert of violinist Julia Hartig and pianist Reineke Brookhans, held at Bemus, was equally coloured by intimate and subtle emotions and expressive musical dialogues. The repertoire, partly composed as a tribute to the violinist herself, represented a kind of musical autobiography that Hartig shaped together with composers from Serbia and the Netherlands, where she lives and works. The special guest of the evening was cellist Maja Bogdanović.

Julia Hartig and Reineke Brookhans

Hall of the Belgrade Philharmonic

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Photo source: julijahartig.com

The program was composed of two works by Isidore Žebeljan - Dark Velvet for violin and piano (transcription by Veljko Nenadić) and the song Ej, dušo for violin, voice and piano - then Poems for Isidora by Greek-Dutch composer Calliope Tsoupaki, Sonata for violin and piano in A minor by the Romanian composer Georges Enescu, Dialogue for violin and cello by Tibor Hartig, Sazvežđa Hartig for violin and prepared piano by Aleksandra Vrebalov and the diptych Air & Riffs by the young, mature and musically authentic Veljko Nenadić.

Each composition has its own unique musical language and conveys different emotional landscapes – from the deep pain of loss (Die my Love), through the broken beauty (Sonata for violin and piano), to pure, untamed joy (Air & Riffs). Those emotional breadths were present in the sound of both instruments, especially in the violin parts, where Hartig shone with her dedication, sincerity and expressiveness.

The duo Hartig and Brookhans performed the program at an extremely high level. This is not surprising considering that they have been playing this repertoire since 2022 and that together they recorded the album Dark Velvet, which contains these works, and which they have since presented at numerous concerts throughout Europe. Their musical attunement was evident at all times, with an intuitive following and complete understanding of every musical phrase.

"The duo of Hartig and Brookhans performed the program at an extremely high level."

Julia Hartig showed an impressive spectrum of emotions and technical abilities, from the complex feelings in the composition Die my Love where she sings and plays at the same time, through the nostalgic and intimate Dark Velvet, to the virtuoso Air & Riffs. Her sense of the dynamic relationships within the compositions is expressed through a wide range, from delicately quiet to powerfully loud nuances, with moments of accentuated drunkenness bringing a fragile but highly emotional tonal color. The rhythmically rich and improvisationally formed composition, resulting from the joint musicianship of Julia Hartig and her cellist father Tibor Hartig, represents a dialogue of different emotional states, which Julia Hartig and Maja Bogdanović brought to life expressively.

Pianist Reineke Broekhans, especially dedicated to chamber music, was an excellent musical collaborator. She balanced between her instrument and the violin with great precision. Her interpretation was both technically and musically flawless, showing great musicality and an extensive capacity of performing and emotional skills throughout all the compositions.

Intimni tonovi Julije Hartig i Rajneke Brukhans na Bemus-u

Koncert violinistkinje Julije Hartig i pijanistkinje Rajneke Brukhans, održan u okviru Bemus-a, bio je podjednako obojen intimnim i suptilnim emocijama i ekspresivnim muzičkim dijalozima. Repertoar, delom komponovan kao posveta samoj violinistkinji, predstavljao je neku vrstu muzičke autobiografije koju je Hartigova oblikovala zajedno s kompozitorima iz Srbije i Holandije, gde živi i radi. Poseban gost večeri bila je violončelistkinja Maja Bogdanović.

Julija Hartig i Rajneke Brukhans

Sala Beogradske filharmonije

Utorak, 22. oktobra 2024. 

Izvor fotografije: julijahartig.com

Program je bio sastavljen od dva dela Isidore Žebeljan – Dark Velvet za violinu i klavir (transkripcija Veljka Nenadića) i pesme Ej, dušo za violinu, glas i klavir – zatim Pesme za Isidoru grčko-holandske kompozitorke Kaliope Cupaki, Sonate za violinu i klavir u a-molu rumunskog kompozitora Žorža Eneskua, Dijaloga za violinu i violončelo Tibora Hartiga, Sazvežđa Hartig za violinu i preparirani klavir Aleksandre Vrebalov i diptiha Air & Riffs mladog, zrelog i muzički autentičnog Veljka Nenadića.

Svaka kompozicija ima svoj jedinstveni muzički jezik i prenosi različite emocionalne pejzaže – od dubokog bola zbog gubitka (Ej, dušo), preko razložene lepote (Sonata za violinu i klavir), do čiste, neukroćene radosti (Air & Riffs). Te emocionalne širine bile su prisutne u zvuku oba instrumenta, naročito u violinističkim deonicama, gde je Hartigova blistala svojom predanošću, iskrenošću i ekspresivnošću.

Duo Hartig i Brukhans izveo je program na izuzetno visokom nivou. To nije iznenađujuće s obzirom na to da ovaj repertoar sviraju od 2022. godine i da su zajedno snimile album Dark Velvet na kom se i nalaze ova dela, a koji su od tada predstavile na mnogobrojnim koncertima širom Evrope. Njihova muzička usaglašenost bila je evidentna u svakom trenutku, s intuitivnim praćenjem i potpunim razumevanjem svake muzičke fraze.

“Duo Hartig i Brukhans izveo je program na izuzetno visokom nivou.”

Julija Hartig pokazala je impresivan spektar emocija i tehničkih sposobnosti, od složenih osećanja u kompoziciji Ej, dušo, gde istovremeno i peva i svira, preko nostalgične i intimne Dark Velvet, do virtuozne Air & Riffs. Njen osećaj za dinamičke odnose unutar kompozicija izražen je kroz širok raspon, od delikatno tihih do moćno glasnih nijansi, pri čemu su trenuci naglašenih pijana doneli krhku, ali izrazito emotivnu tonsku boju. Ritmički bogata i impovizaciono oblikovana kompozicija, proizašla iz zajedničkog muziciranja Julije Hartig i njenog oca violončeliste Tibora Hartiga, predstavlja dijalog različitih emocionalnih stanja, koji su Julija Hartig i Maja Bogdanović oživele izražajno.

Pijanistkinja Rajneke Brukhans, naročito posvećena kamernoj muzici, bila je odličan muzički saradnik. Balansirala je između svog instrumenta i violine sa velikom preciznošću. Njena interpretacija bila je i tehnički i muzički besprekorna, pokazavši sjajnu muzikalnost i obiman kapacitet izvođačkih i emocionalnih veština kroz sve kompozicije.