The well known and more adventurous record label TRPTK released the brand new CD ‘NUÏT’, featuring Maya Fridman and Maarten van Veen.
The adventurous cellist Maya Fridman (1989) does not shy away from any challenge. In August 2020 she met pianist and conductor Maarten van Veen, with whom she felt an immediate musical click. Van Veen is a conductor with the DoelenEnsemble and known for duo piano playing with his brother Jeroen van Veen and Ralph van Raat. With the latter he recently recorded the latest works of John Adams.
Magic
Something magical happened between Fridman and Van Veen and both felt simultaneously that something unique was developing between them. They had in-depth conversations and came up with the extraordinary idea of recording an entirely improvised recital with “Nuit,” the Ancient Egyptian goddess of the universe, as the central theme. One of Van Veen’s passions is to look at the starry sky at night with his telescope, something he also managed to make Fridman enthusiastic about. A great experience, which would become the starting point for an exceptionally inspired musical duet, in which both musicians search for and ultimately find each other in their deepest essence.
Bewildered
Months later, Fridman and Van Veen are still stunned at how they managed to touch each other. “We were really open to each other and didn’t know beforehand if it would work out,” notes Van Veen. “The great acoustics of Schiedam’s Westvestkerk also played an important and inspiring role. What we came up with on the spot, we really got back. The result is fairy-like, almost mystical music in which we seek absolute peace. We felt a real connection with everything, the elements touched us. Improvising led to creative infinity, anything was possible.”
Artistic love
It may sound presumptuous, but the description “artistic love” is fully applicable to the unique collaboration between Fridman and Van Veen. Fridman: “For this recording I didn’t touch my cello for five days and therefore I could start this recital completely empty and open. We really felt safe with each other. Music has perhaps never sounded so real.” Utrecht-based record label TRPTK will release the album today.