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Bjorling
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Kurt Bjorling
Clarinet,
Basset-Horn, Saxophone
This fabulous duo combination of clarinet
& harp
takes the listener to a world beyond
everyday experience.
Duo Controverso
Offers a Unique Sound &
Instrumentation,
an Exciting & Poetic, Timeless &
Modern Repertoire...
... including traditional ethnic music,
classical music, original compositions and jazz.
Their intimate accoustic sound spans a
wide expressive range, inviting the listener to pause and enjoy
music of quiet intensity and ecstatic energy in an otherwise
loud and hurried world.
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traditional folk and ethnic music, such as
East-European klezmer music,
Turkish, Greek and Romanian dances, Jewish
cantorial solos, ...
The classical repertoire of Duo Controverso ranges
from renaissance and
baroque-era masters (Bach, Gibbons,
Handel, Jenkins, Lasso, Vivaldi),
classical and romantic favorites (Chopin,
Mendelssohn, Spohr), to French
impressionists (Fauré, Debussy,
Saint-Saëns) and contemporary composers.
Annette & Kurt play well-known standards as well as obscure but quite
beautiful jazz and pop melodies.
As there is hardly any music composed
specifically for harp with either
clarinet or basset horn or saxophone, all
of the repertoire has been adapted
or composed by Duo Controverso.
Duo Controverso performs for various
occasions:
entertaining and educational concerts,
creating festive ambience and lively dance
music.
We also offer lectures and workshop
programs about the music, songs and dances
of Yiddish culture, with historical
information and hands-on coaching.
Duo Controverso has currently one CD
available:
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Fantasies, Meditations &
Improvisations
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Musical
director of the Chicago Klezmer
Ensemble and, a member of Brave Old World,
Kurt
has also toured and recorded with the
Klezmatics (New York) and violinist Itzhak
Perlman. He has taught klezmer music style
and
techniques at numerous festivals and
workshops in Europe and North America, and
he has
composed symphonic pieces based on
klezmer
music.
In
addition to his involvement with Yiddish
music,
he has been active playing jazz,
chamber
music and various styles of ethnic
folk
music, as well as arranging and
performing music for theater. Kurt studied
clarinet with Lloyd Scott and Larry Combs.
beyond merely
adapting Jewish tunes to the harp,
Annette creates
an unique voice that fits naturally
within the
idiom of Yiddish music.
Annette is
performing as soloist or with ensembles.
She was a
member of several klezmer music groups
such as Myridian (USA,
Germany), KaleidoPhon
(Germany,
Hungary) and the Yiddish music cabaret
ensemble Der Agmes Nefesh Ansambl (Germany,
Israel,
France). Annette was musical co-director of
the KlezmerOrchester (Germany,
Poland, Netherlands).
She has
performed and taught at international music
festivals
in Europe and North America.
Annette is a
private teacher for harp, recorder,
ensemble music
and ethnic dances.
photo credits: top row: Matt
Dinnerstein (1st, 2nd, 4th from left); A.Bjorling (middle);
Bill Burlingham (right)
single photos from top to bottom: Matt
Dinnerstein (1st and 2nd); B.Burlingham; A.Bjorling;
M.Dinnerstein (last two)
Copyright Annette & Kurt Bjorling
© 2010
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