Dulfer, Witteveen & Friends – ‘Back to the Roots, Sweden edition’

Inspired by Dutch and Swedish traditions, Dulfer & Witteveen, together with their friends on the cello and nyckelharpa, perform Swedish and Dutch traditional tunes. Music that allows you to take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Programme notes

Some melodies have been around for centuries. They are played, sung, adapted and passed on, from generation to generation, from village to town, from then to now.

In ‘Back to the Roots – Sweden Edition’, Dulfer & Witteveen, together with cellist Rogier Hornman and nyckelharpa player Torbjörn Näsbom, present a programme packed with Swedish and Dutch traditional tunes. The musicians demonstrate how this centuries-old music still manages to move, surprise and bring people together. Not as a museum piece, but as living music that is rediscovered time and time again.

Alongside traditional melodies, the programme also features works by Torbjörn Näsbom and Rogier Hornman. Näsbom is regarded as one of the greatest contemporary ambassadors of the nyckelharpa, the distinctive Swedish button fiddle, and has won several international awards. As a composer and arranger, Hornman brings together various musical styles in his own work, which fits seamlessly with the atmosphere of the programme.

This isn’t a concert where you have to sit still. It’s set to be an energetic evening where Swedish and Dutch traditions come together. In a warm atmosphere that invites you to move along with the music and take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

The musicians

Dulfer & Witteveen
Bassoonist Thomas Dulfer and saxophonist Deborah Witteveen are rising stars in the world of classical music. At a young age, they each won prizes at the Prinses Christina Concours and were honoured with the Classic Young Masters Award. Together, they were part of the JongNBE, the training ground for the Nederlands Blazers Ensemble. A close musical friendship developed and they have been playing together since 2017. The duo has appeared on Radio 4 on several occasions and has performed at festivals such as the NJO Muziekzomer and Down the Rabbit Hole.

Dulfer & Witteveen perform a colourful repertoire with great flair, ranging from Bach to Piazzolla and from Rossini to Gubaidulina. Due to the unique nature of their line-up, the duo plays almost exclusively arrangements, some of which they have written themselves.

Dulfer & Witteveen are also the joint artistic and business directors of the Future Sounds Foundation, through which they aim to make music programmes more accessible to a wider audience and to promote new music – particularly for the bassoon and the saxophone.

Line-up:
Thomas Dulfer – bassoon
Deborah Witteveen – saxophone
Torbjörn Näsbom – nickelharpa
Rogier Hornman – cello