Bartók & Wybenga remixed

Composer and jazz musician Tijn Wybenga redefines the concept of a string orchestra with Bartók & Wiebenga Remixed. Wybenga, with a background and practice in jazz, drew inspiration for the concert from the work of a composer who, like him, enjoys remixing melodies: Béla Bartók. Around a century ago, the Hungarian composer and pianist set out to discover folk music, which formed the basis for his own classical compositions.

Concert in Three Parts
Wybenga similarly wrote a new composition for this concert, inspired by the solo playing of a violinist. He did this especially for the Utrecht String Ensemble: a new string orchestra with Classical Music students from the HKU Utrecht Conservatory. In addition to this composition, the concert features the first movement of Bartók's Diverimento, a piece for string orchestra from 1939, and several pieces Wiebenga previously wrote for his own jazz orchestra, the Brainteaser Orchestra, which have been reinterpreted for a classical string orchestra for this concert. The performance is by the Utrecht String Ensemble. Tijn Wybenga is the musical director and conductor.

Meeting musical worlds
Just like Bartók in the first decades of the twentieth century, Wybenga moves between two worlds: a world of classical music, scores, and rigid rules on the one hand, and a world of improvisation and unpredictability on the other. Both composers begin with an existing melody and then develop it in their own style. For Bartók, the source is folk music; for Wybenga, it's improvisations, in this case by classically trained violinists.

Improvisation back at the heart of music
Wybenga believes that improvisation, as a composer, is not new: "In historical music, improvisation was quite normal. Only in the classical period was all music written down so precisely. With my approach, I'm bringing the importance of improvisation back where it belongs: at the heart of music."

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