Sensing Earth

Cello Octet Amsterdam is an adventurous collective of cellists that represents new music and interdisciplinary performances. The Octet has become a household name in the contemporary music world through collaborations with composers such as Philip Glass, Sofia Gubaidulina, Arvo Pärt, Theo Loevendie, Nyokabi Kariũki, Sarah Davachi, Michael Gordon, and Kate Moore. After the premiere of his first piece for the Octet, Arvo Pärt said: “The Octet is worth its weight in gold. I discovered this ensemble 10 years too late.”

Cello Octet Amsterdam reflects on the feelings that life in a disrupted time evokes, and to this concert they bring the works of composers who are inspired by nature, their love for life, and the anger about its destruction. This is music that drew inspiration from nature and the elements. From the icy sounds in Saariaho’s Neiges to the stirring Spanish rhythms in Halffter’s Fandango. In addition, the Octet plays new arrangements made by octet cellist Rene van Munster from works by the composer, pianist, and actor Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died in 2023. The program will also include a staple work by veteran Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina.

You can also hear Cello Octet Amsterdam in the concert Vol de Nuit in collaboration with Syrian clarinetist and composer Kinan Azmeh.

Sanne Bijker, cello
Claire Bleumer, cello
Sanne van der Horst, cello
Rares Mihailescu, cello
René van Munster, cello
Alistair Sung, cello
Esther Torrenga, cello
Genevieve Verhage, cello