The Elm Student Newspaper
Musical trio performs classical music on guitars
Heidi Atwood
The Amsterdam Guitar Trio
astounded it's audience,
which was lacking in students.
Courtesy of College Web site
Sunday, April 8, the Amsterdam Guitar Trio performed a concert in Tawes Theatre. The group's excellent skills and unique approach to classical music proved to audience members that the guitar is not just an instrument for folk singers and rock bands.
The internationally renowned group, which includes Helenus de Rijke, Olga Franssen, and Esther Steenbergen, visited the college as a part of the WC concert series, a program that brings many distinguished musicians to the campus.
Even though the trio is well-known, they performed for a small audience.
Not many WC students took advantage of the event. However, the event was well attended by residents from the Kent county area.With only acoustic guitars, the musicians were able to create unusual sounds that impressed their listeners.
Sophomore Jillian Fletcher was amazed by some of the pieces that the trio chose to perform. She said, "The concert was fantastic. You wouldn't expect [the guitars] to make some of the sounds they did."
The concert program consisted of a variety of styles. Some pieces, such as "Brandenburg Concerto" by Bach, were not originally pieces written for guitars.
Rijke explained to the audience, "There is not much music written for guitar trios ... one of the ways to get music is to take pieces that are not originally written for guitars and rearrange them."
Catharine Clarke, a WC sophomore, especially enjoyed the adapted concerto: "I loved the concert. [The guitarists] had an unexpected sound ...
I like the 'Brandenburg Concerto' anyway, but it was nice to hear it played differently," she said.Though the group performed some pieces that did not seem to fit the guitar, others they played seemed made for the instrument. The second piece performed in the program, "El Salon Mexico" was one such piece.
The song, which Rijke described as "a musical postcard from a Mexican nightclub," captured the distinct rhythms that one might encounter in such a setting.
The song's unpredictable shifts characterized the trio itself. They constantly surprised the audience with their odd adaptations, but they did not neglect more traditional guitar works.
Said Fletcher, "They did play some things that you don't expect guitars to play, but they also played songs that were not so unusual."
The musicians continued their concert with some selections from "The Three Cornered Hat," a ballet by Manuel de Fala. The group also presented a symphony by Mozart.
"Table Music," one of the last pieces the group performed, was a short song composed for the trio. It was written by Chiel Meyering, who "is a Dutch composer and has composed many pieces for the Amsterdam Guitar Trio," Rijke noted.
After the concert, a reception was held in the Tawes Theatre gallery.
Fletcher, who remained at the Theatre, was able to meet with the musicians."I chatted with the guitarists afterwards. They were interesting people," she said.
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