Ek Is Eik
Anne Vanschothorst harp
Saskia Laroo trumpet
Ernst Stolz viola da gamba
Arthur Bont percussion
Thijs de Melker bass
Bob van Luijt bass, samples, effects digi-orchestration
EK IS EIK, the debut Big Round Records release for critically acclaimed Dutch composer and harpist Anne Vanschothorst, features works for contemporary classical harp with a distinctly jazz twist. By way of solo harp pairing with instruments such as the trumpet, viola da gamba, percussion, and bass, Vanschothorst’s music mirrors her passion for experimentation and eclecticism. EK IS EIK takes listeners on a journey of thoughts and memories, and appeals to the profound within the listeners: imagination, emotion, truth, and beauty.
The album features trumpeter Saskia Laroo, gambist Ernst Stolz, bassist Bob van Luijt, and percussionist Arthur Bont alongside the composer herself. Vanschothorst says regarding her collaborators, “These musicians have great amounts of musical whimsy; I can give a certain idea or guideline, but they are still going their own way in the composition or improvisation.” Recorded in her home studio, the harp was recorded separately with the rest of the instruments being overdubbed, giving each artist the opportunity to create their own musical narrative while reacting to Vanschothorst’s harp.
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Artist Information
Anne Vanschothorst
Anne Vanschothorst (The Netherlands) is a landscape music composer, minimal harp pioneer, and multimedia artist exploring creativity in applied music, film, and spoken word — using overdub and making sound sculptures with 47 strings. She received international critical acclaim as an indie composer and producer who records sound on sound stilled mystical landscape music for in-a-room, film, multimedia, and spoken word. This new poetic and inventive, edgy sonic universe next to the existing harp planet and music world, indicates that Vanschothorst walks off the beaten track. The written note-scores are frequently performed by international musicians and added to their repertoire. The “You Play I listen!” platform is an ongoing creativity project that was initiated to share Harp and Soul Music performed by others via videos and sound-clouds.