The viola de gamba is my beloved instrument and I usually try to put its delicate sound in the center of a concert. I do a lot of solo performances, too, some 80 each year. By the way: a concert means a lot more than just playin beautiful classical music to me. I usually do put in a lot of anekdotes, stories, and explanations about this unknown instrument, its rich history and the sometimes crazy people that wrote music for it.
But I love to invite musician friends to join in. Harpshichord players like Pieter-Jan Belder, David Jansen or Ruud Huijbregts, for example. Violin (Remy Baudet), traverso (Sari Rasanen), and various vocalists are also a possibility. In 2006 I recorded a Marais album with Pieter-Jan and Remy and I’ve just released the Bach sonatas for gamba and harpsichord with Pieter-Jan.
As for 2008, I’ve just finished a recording with one of the major record labels right here (Challenge Records) and I’m very happy about that: the French folk song arrangements with string quartet Matangi and jazz bass star Hein van de Geyn. Due out in the summer!
Influences
As you might expect, my musical influences are about as broad as you can imagine...yes, it did start out with classical piano but it was followed by a diversity from AC/DC, Raven, ZZ Top, and Iron Maiden through Miles Davis, Michael Jackson, Sting, bass heroes like Eddie Gomez, Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, Steve Harris, and John Gallagher, as well as fellow gamba players like my great example Jordi Savall. And, yes, some conductors, too: Nikolaus Harnoncourt for example...amazing.
Sounds Like
Well, that's hard.... try visiting Classics Today.com and see what the experts have to say about it... Moved by Marais (9/10) and Gambomania (10/10) Or check my website Gambomania.com for more press blurbs, a photo tour log and much more...
Ralph Rousseau Meulenbroeks showed his prodigious talent at an early age, playing the piano and (bass) guitar at the age of eight. He later combined his conservatory double bass studies (with Henk Guldemond) with a masters and Ph.D. in physics. Both his conservatory soloist diploma and his masters degree in physics were awarded “cum laude”. He played double bass in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, working with major conductors such as Riccharo Chailly, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Moreover, he gave many recitals and solo concerts with orchestra in the Netherlands and abroad, including numerous radio and television performances. And he still found time to perform with several pop-, jazz-, and rockbands.
From 1995 onwards Ralph Rousseau Meulenbroeks has specialized in performing early music, studying viola da gamba with Jaap ter Linden and following master classes with Anneke Pols, Mieneke van der Velden, Freek Borstlap, Rainer Zipperling, and Philippe Pierlot. He is now an esteemed soloist, either entirely solo, in several chamber music ensembles, or in orchestral works such as the Passions and cantatas of J.S. Bach.
With the viola da gamba he has played for radio and television and he can be heard on several CDs, including the St Matthew Passion by Johann Theile. CD’s with music for viola da gamba solo were highly acclaimed in the Dutch press, which dubbed Meulenbroeks “…one of the best gamba players of this moment…” Meulenbroeks played in the Fringe series of the Early Music Festival in Utrecht (2000 through 2002), in the Dutch Early Music network (2003/2004), at the "International Chamber Music Festival" in Utrecht in 2003 and 2004, as well as in chamber music festivals in Poland, Germany, Stratford-on-Avon (UK), Amsterdam, Paris, and Brussels. He has recently worked with artists like Max van Egmond, Roger Norrington, Claron McFadden, and Janine Jansen. Outside of the Netherlands his solo recitals have taken him to Belgium, France, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, China, Thailand, Poland, and the USA. In 2006 he returned to the Royal Concergebouw Orchestra as a gamba soloist.
- Host-families offered in The Netherlands for musicians. -
Oude Muziek Brabant (Early Music Brabant)- THE agency for early music, historical folkmusic and historical theatre -is starting up a new service: To offer host-families to musicians traveling to and through The Netherlands. It is usually very hard for musicians from other countries to rustle up funds for hotels and such, when wanting to play in this country and Belgium. Oude Muziek Brabant is a leading name in organising cultural events.
Instead of staying in hotels and godawful hostels, it might be a very good idea to stay in the comfortable surroundings of a familiy or private person instead.
We're only just trying to see if there's an actual demand for these things and will actively try to find suitable homes for musicians travelling to Holland and some cities in Belgium aswell.
We do charge a fee for the service, based on the number of adresses, rather than the amount of people we have to put up. We give the families a small amount to cover food and drink, but try to maintain the air of hospitality rather than having a too commercial agreement with them. We like to give them- on your behalf -tickets for concerts aswell.
If you are interested, please let us know. Also if you would like to be the host for musicians in Holland, please do respond.
Hallo, lieber Ralph! Da ich sehr lange nicht hier war, hoffe ich aber, dass es Dir trotzdem gut geht.:-) Ohne Spaß - hast Du den langen und auch sehr kalten Winter gut überstanden? Was mch betrifft, ich warte nur noch auf den Frühling. Am 21. April bin ich in Roermond bei einem Konzert von Reincarnatus. Das ist im Theaterhotel De Oranjerie und da sind wir jedes Jahr. Ich wünsche Dir ganz viel Glück und alles Gute, für Dich und Deine Musik! Liebe Grüße Renate
..Come and see the only viola da gamba vidcast - the GambaCast! Brought to you by 'Viols in Our Schools' the GambaCast is free and we are looking to expand content all of the time. Look for it on blip. tv or in the iTunes store.
Hallo, lieber Ralph, lange war ich nicht mehr hier auf der Seite. Ich hoffe sehr, dass es Dir gut geht. Für die CD "Chansons d'amour" wünsche ich Dir/Euch viel Erfolg! Wo kann ich die CD denn kaufen?
Nun wünsche ich Dir einen besinnlichen 1. Advent - und weiter eine gute Zeit.
Ralph, thanks for the add and the wonderful gamba playing. The Marais is very nice indeed. Please stop by my page for a listen. Regards, Nicholas Schuller - Classical Guitarist
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