Zefir Records

Oblivion Soave

Mike Fentross & Maarten Ornstein

 “May quiet peace and sweet thoughts be with thee in sleep, child. Rest, oh thieving eyes! open - what would you do, when even closed, you steal My love! Poppea, sleep on  in peace, sleep - sleep!”

Oblivion Soave, from Monteverdi's opera L'Incoronazione di Poppea is a beautiful lullaby. This title reflects so well both the music and the sound of the theorbe and bass clarinet combination. 'Slumber gently', as it's often translated, might just as well be the general mood indication for listening to the music. Wether it is Monteverdi, Purcell, Dawud Hosny or any other of the composers who's work is played here, the unorthodox but exquisite sound of the instruments combined was not lost to the audience or the musicians themselves. Including Arvo Pärt's magical work Spiegel im Spiegel illustrates the duo's willingness to explore any kind of music, disregarding boundaries set by style or instrumentation.

Fentross and Ornstein studied both at the oyal Academy The Hague, but found each other musical just years later at the  Splendor musicians collective in Amsterdam musicians. Their different musical context - one early music, other one the jazz - ensures fresh repertoire and , provocative look on music.

Watch the TV broadcast of Podium Witteman on 24 April. Constantijn Huygens - Quoy Clorinde

external links
Visit the website of Maarten Ornstein
Visit the website of Mike Fentross