‘Duenka’ concert
22 October, 8.00 pm
Duenka Concert
Programme
1) Sonata for violin and harpsichord No. 4, BWV 1017
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
2) Largo from Violin Sonata No. 3, BWV 1005 (solo violin + solo piano)
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
3) Sonata for violin and piano
César Franck (1822–1890)
Duenka: from art silk to art
“Duenka” is the new duo formed by violinist Marjolein van Dingstee and pianist and harpsichordist Sander Leeuwenburgh. Both musicians live in the former Enka factory in Ede and share a great love of chamber music. Akoesticum director Anne ten Barge brought them together in 2024; they have been the Duenka duo since 2025, and in 2026 they will give their first joint concert at the Akoesticum, featuring works by Bach and Franck. Duenka makes music in the very place where the machines of the Enka factory once clattered: from artificial silk to art!
Duenka is characterised by a broad and surprising repertoire, in which different eras and styles come together. The combination of violin, piano and/or harpsichord opens up a world of timbres: from the transparency and refinement of early music to the expressive power of the Romantic era and the modern age. Well-known masterpieces are interspersed with lesser-known gems. With inspiring commentary, Marjolein and Sander take their audience on a journey through the stories behind the music.
Marjolein van Dingstee is a violinist with the Phion Orchestra, where she also served as chamber music programme director for a number of years. Chamber music has been her great passion from an early age and runs like a common thread through Marjolein’s musical career. For many years, she played in the Van Dingstee Quartet and various other ensembles. She also regularly stands in for leading Dutch orchestras. Sander Leeuwenburgh graduated cum laude as a pianist from the conservatoire and combines his musical career with a background as a professor of biomaterials science. As a pianist and harpsichordist, he has a particular interest in bridging the gap between early and modern music.
Programme notes: “From Bach to Franck: a timeless dialogue”
What links the Baroque master Johann Sebastian Bach with the Romantic composer César Franck? Much more than you might think at first listen, for both composers were able to develop the simplest musical themes into magnificent masterpieces. In this programme, two musical worlds come together in a fascinating dialogue.
In Bach’s Sonata BWV 1017, the violin and harpsichord are equal partners in dialogue. They exchange motifs, challenge one another and inspire each other to moments of profound tranquillity and infectious virtuosity. The Largo from BWV 1005 is then performed first in its original version for solo violin and subsequently in Camille Saint-Saëns’s piano arrangement.
This Romantic arrangement bridges the Baroque era with the Romanticism of Franck’s monumental Sonata for violin and piano. Franck admired Bach for his spirituality and unrivalled polyphonic compositions. In Franck’s work, too, a number of musical motifs develop into a grand, cyclical whole. The result is a musical journey full of lyricism, fierce passion and tranquillity, culminating in a jubilant finale.
In this programme, Bach and Franck do not stand in contrast to one another, but form a musical dialogue spanning the centuries. Both demonstrate how two equal voices can inspire one another and how a world of unprecedented richness can emerge from a few simple musical ideas.
Performers
Marjolein van Dingstee (violin) and Sander Leeuwenburgh (piano)