With her first solo album ‘BRON,’ cellist Geneviève Verhage attempts to create a direct connection with the listener by recounting in both music and lyrics what this word means to her: ‘a precious place inside yourself where formative memories are stored and what forms your personal compass. Clear, pure.’

BRON begins with the free and tranquil “Ad Lib,” a composition by Jeffrey Bruinsma. The 2nd Cello Suite in D Minor BWV1008 by J.S. Bach follows. Melancholy, always on the border of pain and hope, light and heavy. After these two solo pieces, pianist Helena Basilova joins her with ‘Nuit Calme’ by 20th century composer Henriëtte Bosmans, a short work at the crossroads of German Romanticism and French Impressionism. The program concludes with “Hymnus,” again by Jeffrey Bruinsma, for cello, violin (Bruinsma himself) and guitar (Reinier Baas). Hypnotic violin arpeggios, a strong cello melody and a peerless guitar solo make for an intense ending to this album.

Geneviève chronicled the making of this album in a diary, and with the collaboration of author/music journalist Persis Bekkering, she incorporated these notes into the CD booklet. The final track of the album is a voiceover recorded by Geneviève herself in which she tells this story. ‘A ‘bron’ (well/ source) is a place you have to nurture and take good care of.’ With this autonomous project, Geneviève is feeding her own ‘bron’ and hopefully touching that of her audience.

Release: 20 September 2024

Available as a physical copy at e.g.
Bol.com
Concerto
PIAS Webstore

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