The Edenwood Duo is excited to announce their latest program, titled Heritage, which beautifully intertwines tradition and innovation. This carefully curated collection showcases the duo’s artistry through a mix of commissioned works, original arrangements, and timeless classics.

A New Commission: Suite for Cello & Guitar by Erik Desimpelaere

At the heart of the “Heritage” program is a newly commissioned piece by Belgian composer Erik Desimpelaere. His Suite for Cello & Guitar is an exploration of musical dialogue, blending contemporary harmonies with traditional influences. Desimpelaere’s unique voice shines through, offering a fresh perspective that invites listeners on a journey through diverse emotions and styles. The Edenwood Duo’s performance will showcase their technical prowess and deep interpretative understanding, making this piece a standout in their repertoire. The Suite has 6 movements and widens up the technical possibilities for the cello guitar formation. The corner movements bathe in a Spanish flavour, while the other movements have a more cinematic output.

Reimagining Schubert: Arpeggione Sonata

In addition to the new commission, the duo will perform their own arrangement of Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata. This beloved work, originally composed for the arpeggione, finds new life in the hands of Edenwood Duo. The combination of cello and guitar creates a rich tapestry of sound that highlights the sonata’s lyrical beauty. Their interpretation not only pays homage to Schubert’s genius but also emphasizes the interplay between the two instruments, making it a dynamic and engaging experience for audiences.

Light Blue, the new album of Edenwood Duo (Etcetera KTC1724), continues to receive very nice reviews:

• Rondo, das Klassik- & Jazz-Magazin (Germany)
  

  “Schöne Musik mit hohem Genusswert.”

• Guitare Classique N°99 (France)
  

  “Un disque au charme irrésistible, à écouter sans la moindre hésitation.”

• 5 out of 5 stars from James Wegg Review (Canada)

The first reviews of Light Blue, the new album of Edenwood Duo appeared in the press!

Larsen Magazine (Belgium, in French)

“… Light Blue, c’est avant tout un heureux melting pot d’influences en tout genre – couleurs jazzy et afro-asiatiques avec Nathan Kolosko, émotions cinématographiques avec Giorgio Mirto, tendance rock matinée de Debussy et de Ravel avec Mathias Duplessy…”

Pizzicato (Luxembourg, in German)

“… Dieser Eindruck wird sicherlich durch die vitale, letzten Endes aber auch sehr poetische Interpretation des Edenwood Duos  verstärkt…”

Cultuurpakt (Belgium, in Dutch)

“… Dit album bewijst het communicatieve aan muziek, de diepere kracht die klank geeft aan vriendschap en herinneringen. Zonder grenzen op papier gezet en uitgevoerd door het Edenwood Duo. Een haast lichtgevende en zintuigprikkelende schijf in uw platenkast, Belgisch bovendien.”

Edenwood Duo was invited on Klara & Musiq3 for interviews with Olav Grondelaers and Camille De Rijck about the album release of Light Blue.

Click here to listen to the interview in French on Musiq3 with Camille De Rijck , the 30th November 2021 in Chambre avec vue – Vue sur le bleu clair du Duo Edenwood.

Click here for the interview in Dutch on Klara with Olav Grondelaers, the 13th December 2021 in Music Matters.

In December 2021, Beeldenstorm VZW will release Light Blue, the new album of Edenwood Duo (Etcetera KTC1724).

The CD Light Blue is now available on this site! Get more info about this new release and order your copy here: https://www.woutervercruysse.com/product/cd-light-blue/

Guitarist Catherine Struys & cellist Wouter Vercruysse will present the album in Arsonic, Mons on Thursday 28th October 2021.

Tune in on the YouTube channel of Edenwood Duo, Thursday 8th April at 8:30 pm (CET+2) for the Livestream of Episodics, a concert with Catherine Struys & Wouter Vercruysse.

Edenwood Duo will perform the world creation of Episodics written by the American composer Nathan Kolosko and the Sonata for cello & guitar “Rêves” by French composer Mathias Duplessy.

Tune in tonight at 8:30 pm UTC +1 on facebook or YouTube for a concert serenade with Edenwood Duo.

Get a glance of Edenwood’s new repertoire with music by Asgeir Aarøen & Giorgio Mirto. Also on the program, two world premieres: the Serenade of Nicolas Meunier and Canticum Maris of Armand Coeck. Furthermore, you can hear for the first time the cello & guitar version of Danza Nobile of Wilfried Westerlinck.

Stay safe and feel welcome to join later today!

Serenade – Edenwood Duo (duration ca. 25′)

Strings of Silence (2012) – Asgeir Aarøen (NO)
Letters on the table (2017) – Giorgio Mirto (IT)
Danza Nobile (2019) – Wilfried Westerlinck (BE)
Sérénade (2020 – world premiere) – Nicolas Meunier (BE)
Canticum Maris (2019 – world premiere) – Armand Coeck (BE)

buy here your copy of Edenwood Duo’s Another Place

Tune in this evening on facebook to see the St. George Quintet performing the “Bullet” by Onslow in the chamber music hall of Concertgebouw Bruges.

The St. George Quintet is named after the composer George Onslow, the godfather of the string quintet. Onslow applies his mastery to one of the most remarkable string quintets ever written – a description of an accident that nearly took his life.

Onslow was born in France in 1784 to a father banished from England because of a homosexual scandal. Onslow spent much of his youth in London receiving the education of a gentleman, and became a capable cellist. After two years of travel in Germany and Austria he began composing, specialising in string quintets for two violins, viola, and two cellos.

On the night of one of Onslow’s works was to be premiered the second cellist didn’t show up. The legendary bassist Domenico Dragonetti happened to be in the audience that night and he sightread the 2nd cello part on double bass. Onslow was so taken with the sound of the bassist that he went back and rescored all his quintets to include the bass.

The quintet that most fascinated his contemporaries describes an accident that nearly ended Onslow’s composing and his life.

In 1829 Onslow and some companions were hunting a long-elusive wild boar, but – ever the composer – Onslow brought along a book of music paper just in case inspiration came during the hunt.  Book in hand, he took up an assigned position and waited for his fellow hunters to drive the boar his way. After a while, the quiet woods roused Onslow’s musical imagination and, forgetting his friends, he wandered deeper into the woods, found a stump, and sat down to work on his latest quintet.

A shot rang out and Onslow fell bleeding to the ground.

A bullet had cut through his ear and lodged in his neck. His recovery was slow, painful, and partial. He roused himself by continuing his work on the quintet that had distracted him in the woods, only now it became a recollection of the accident. To the second movement minuet he gave the title “Suffering, Fever, and Delirium.” The next movement he called “Convalescence.” And the finale became known as “Recovery.”

The bullet in his neck was never removed and he eventually went deaf in the affected ear, but despite the high cost of his “Bullet Quintet”, Georges Onslow said often that he would not have wanted to miss the opportunity to write it. The composer dedicated this string quintet to the Polish/French cellist Louis Norblin, teacher at the Paris conservatory. Among Norblin’s students were Jacques Offenbach and Auguste Franchomme.

The event is made possible with the financial support of the Flemish Government and logistic support by Concertgebouw Bruges & Beeldenstorm Anderlecht.

The soundtrack album of Invisible – Belgian television serie  – composed by Eloi Ragot got released this week on digital platforms. The St. George Quintet had the pleasure to record some parts of the score.

Click here to chose your digital platform to listen to the soundtrack of Invisible: https://awal.ffm.to/invisiblealbum

The series is now being broadcasted in Belgium on Sunday evenings on RTBF: https://www.rtbf.be/emission/invisible