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Quotes from recent articles:
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"The score certainly preserves this fantastic joy in my mind and soul during the many months of composing this work. There is something unique about the adventure to combine two harps which are normally tuned in diatonic scales and to synthesise them into one large chromatic harp.” |
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“A work of beauty and intricacy, characterised by melodic fluidity and textural variety combined with a deeply resonant harmonic language.” |
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“A perfect synthesis of sound and instrumental sound and vocal sound, text and music, spirituality and timing. A Jubilus for the 21st Century!” |
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“The excellent sound design by Stockhausen, and above all the manual and vocal virtuosity of its two performers, Marianne Smit and Esther Kooi, ensures that the work enriches the catalog of the Stockhausen-Verlag with yet another original, beautifull piece.” |
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"Two harpists play and sing words from a medieval hymn in what is one of the most striking and beautiful of Stockhausen’s late creations." |
“These exceptional musicians consistute Stockhausen's last find for his elite of superb personal performers. The uncanny beauty of this music is undoubtedly one of the pearls of Stockhausen's last years, and will no doubt receive a lot of further attention in this country following this phenomenal premiere.” | |
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“Harpists Marianne Smit and Esther Kooi were simply astounding, playing and singing this 45-minute epic with great poise and beauty of sound. This has shown that the alleged loopiness and musical poverty of Stockhausen's final years is a myth.” |
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“The musicians were technically brilliant and totally at one with the seemingly intuitive but fascinating musical journey: indeed they seemed to embody the music within the performance and themselves.” |
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About Joy for two harps: “An octave, a glissando, or certain vocal harmonies lend overwhelming unity to a work that thrives on diversity.” |
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“Their play was of impressive perfection, the result of endless tuning under the guidance of the com-poser. Synchronous tempo-changes and spot-on chords; Kooi and Smit seemed to be fused with each other and the composition.” |
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“Marianne Smit and Esther Kooi played their instruments with a refined virtuosity.” |
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"The Joy of Stockhausen" |
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"Young harpists write music history" Noord-Hollands Dagblad, June 2nd 2006 |