Sarasvati by Merel Vercammen, Dina Ivanova, All Ears Records
Merel Vercammen and Dina Ivanova proudly present their third album, Sarasvati, which will be released on September 27, 2024, on Merel Vercammen's new label All Ears Records. On this album, they combine sonatas by Claude Debussy and Francis Poulenc with contemporary works by Mathilde Wantenaar, Alisson Kruusmaa, and Joey Roukens.
The album is an ode to the open-mindedness of these composers. Debussy's Sonata for Violin and Piano, composed during World War I, reflects his French heritage and is his last completed composition. This work is placed alongside the war sonata of his compatriot Poulenc.
Sarasvati also includes new compositions that build on the traditions of their predecessors while adding a contemporary voice. Mathilde Wantenaar's Petit Morceau, a short French-inspired work composed for the 2024 Dutch Violin Competition, showcases her talent for melodic development, ranging from exuberance to melancholy. Alisson Kruusmaa's Mesmerism reflects her personal experiences.
Just as Debussy was greatly inspired by East Asian music during his visit to the World's Fair in Paris, Joey Roukens is influenced by both Asian music and Debussy and Poulenc. Roukens shares with them the ability to combine the playful and the serious.
'Sarasvati' is an ancient Sanskrit word that originally means 'that which flows'. 'The word refers both to a mythical lost river in ancient India and to the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, and water,' says Roukens. 'I see the piece as one continuous, flowing movement that starts calmly, like a gently flowing river – lyrical and meditative. Gradually, the flow becomes more hectic, and the piece grows more energetic and intense.'
What all these composers have in common is their open-mindedness. For Vercammen and Ivanova, this album represents mutual inspiration. Once it flows into the sea, some of those water molecules will return to the same river and form a new stream with other droplets. This is exactly how musical ideas have evolved through the centuries.
Vercammen and Ivanova have formed a duo since early 2018. Their previous two albums, Symbiosis (including the violin sonata by César Franck) and The Boulanger Legacy, were highly praised in the international press.
Tracklist
Credits
Sarasvati, All Ears Records
Merel Vercammen, violin | Dina Ivanova, piano
Recorded by Frerik de Jong at Muziekgebouw Eindhoven
Distribution by Pias/[Integral]
License
All rights reserved.
Violinist Merel Vercammen graduated cum laude from the Royal College of Music in London. She received prizes at the London Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition, the National Competition of the Foundation for Young Musical Talent of the Netherlands and the Princess Christina Concours.