Harriet Krijgh & Magda Amara

Silence has its own story for Harriet Krijgh: first because she could no longer play due to a hand injury that made all the music just too much for her. After she recovered, she felt like a different person: richer, more mature, more grateful. Then followed a new point of silence: corona. The peace enforced by this brought her to the songs, the poems arranged for cello and piano in this program. With pianist Magda Amara, she released them on CD with Deutsche Grammophon. They offered her footing but also inspiration.

Krijgh: "That's why I want to play and share them, with the only musical voice I possess, that of the cello. It is not about beauty and long lines, but about getting close to the meaning of the words. When a song is about Schmerz, my cello should not sing beautifully, but rather make that pain palpable. I cannot pronounce those words, but on the cello I try to express them with all my soul.