During Franz Schubert's lifetime, some of his friends in cultivated Viennese society organized evenings devoted to his work. Strictly speaking, these were not concerts, but informal gatherings in private apartments, where music alternated with poetry and theater. They immediately took the name Schubertiades.

It's this very special atmosphere that we invite you to rediscover during a convivial evening that will alternate between vocal pieces, sung as soloists or in polyphonic groups, and pieces for piano four hands, such as the masterly Fantaisie in F minor.

The concert will last almost three hours. It will be divided into three parts, separated by two 30-minute breaks during which drinks included in the ticket price will be offered.

Nikki Treurniet, soprano
Marine Fribourg, mezzo
Hugo Hymas, tenor
Eric Ander, bass
Maude Gratton, fortepiano

Maude Gratton & Rémy Cardinale, 4 hands pianoforte

Historical piano Maximilian Schott, Vienna (1835)

Festival Académie Bach, Arques-la-Bataille - more info

O schöne Nacht -- beautiful night! DAMASK explores the sensual and mysterious possibilities of darkness in our program of Romantic quartets by masters of 19th-century song, including dreams sweet and terrifying, fantastic creatures, ghosts, silent longings and regrets, new-blooming love, homesickness, dancing and stories around the fire.

We perform Brahms’s complete Op. 92 and Op. 112 quartet cycles, featuring some of his most ravishing vocal writing; and we are delighted to present some exquisite, rarely-performed quartets by two of Brahms’s lesser-known contemporaries. Heinrich von Herzogenberg married one of Brahms's piano students and was a tireless advocate for his colleague's work. His Notturnos, Op. 22, are almost unbelievably harmonically rich and expansive, and the first movement of the cycle directly inspired Brahms’s more famous O schöne Nacht. Gustav Jenner, a generation younger and Brahms’s only formal student, wrote captivating quartets of rhetorical grandeur and humor. Together, these gorgeous miniatures, mostly not as well known as they deserve to be, make for a beautiful and satisfying evening of chamber music.

TICKETS

O schöne Nacht -- beautiful night! DAMASK explores the sensual and mysterious possibilities of darkness in our program of Romantic quartets by masters of 19th-century song, including dreams sweet and terrifying, fantastic creatures, ghosts, silent longings and regrets, new-blooming love, homesickness, dancing and stories around the fire.

Damask travel to Arnhem to present a programme of Brahms, Schubert & Wadsworth, including Brahms’ famous Liebeslieder Walzer.

For more info, click here.

Damask will be returning to the Hague to perform Brahms’ wonderful Liebeslieder-Walzer cycle, as well as works by Schubert, Wadsworth and Corigliano.

For more info, click here.

Damask are so excited to be back performing together!

For their Turkish debut, the quartet will be performing Lang’s little match girl passion alongside a selection of African-American Spirituals at the Mersin International Music Festival.

For more info, see here.

As part of Venray’s Theehuis Concerten series, Damask presents a modern masterpiece, David Lang’s Little Match Girl Passion for four singers each playing percussion. This substantial work tells the Hans Christian Andersen story of an innocent girl’s death through the structure of a Bach Passion, with chorale-like sections reflection on her plight, an “Evangelist” narrative style, and a haunting final chorus. This contemplative program, performed without interval, strongly affects audiences of all ages and musical backgrounds and is a worthy counterpart to the more grand and well-known Passion repertoire.

Due to Covid restrictions, we will perform this programme twice, both times with smaller audiences; firstly at 2pm and then once again at 4pm.

To purchase tickets, click HERE

O schöne Nacht -- beautiful night! DAMASK explores the sensual and mysterious possibilities of darkness in our program of Romantic quartets by masters of 19th-century song, including dreams sweet and terrifying, fantastic creatures, ghosts, silent longings and regrets, new-blooming love, homesickness, dancing and stories around the fire.

We perform Brahms’s complete Op. 92 and Op. 112 quartet cycles, featuring some of his most ravishing vocal writing; and we are delighted to present some exquisite, rarely-performed quartets by two of Brahms’s lesser-known contemporaries. Heinrich von Herzogenberg married one of Brahms's piano students and was a tireless advocate for his colleague's work. His Notturnos, Op. 22, are almost unbelievably harmonically rich and expansive, and the first movement of the cycle directly inspired Brahms’s more famous O schöne Nacht. Gustav Jenner, a generation younger and Brahms’s only formal student, wrote captivating quartets of rhetorical grandeur and humor. Together, these gorgeous miniatures, mostly not as well known as they deserve to be, make for a beautiful and satisfying evening of chamber music.

Damask is excited to present a new Romantic program at Amsterdam’s Waalse Kerk, to include music by Brahms & Schubert.

O schöne Nacht -- beautiful night! DAMASK explores the sensual and mysterious possibilities of darkness in our program of Romantic quartets by masters of 19th-century song, including dreams sweet and terrifying, fantastic creatures, ghosts, silent longings and regrets, new-blooming love, homesickness, dancing and stories around the fire.

We perform Brahms’s complete Op. 92 and Op. 112 quartet cycles, featuring some of his most ravishing vocal writing; and we are delighted to present some exquisite, rarely-performed quartets by two of Brahms’s lesser-known contemporaries. Heinrich von Herzogenberg married one of Brahms's piano students and was a tireless advocate for his colleague's work. His Notturnos, Op. 22, are almost unbelievably harmonically rich and expansive, and the first movement of the cycle directly inspired Brahms’s more famous O schöne Nacht. Gustav Jenner, a generation younger and Brahms’s only formal student, wrote captivating quartets of rhetorical grandeur and humor. Together, these gorgeous miniatures, mostly not as well known as they deserve to be, make for a beautiful and satisfying evening of chamber music.

TICKETS

O schöne Nacht -- beautiful night! DAMASK explores the sensual and mysterious possibilities of darkness in our program of Romantic quartets by masters of 19th-century song, including dreams sweet and terrifying, fantastic creatures, ghosts, silent longings and regrets, new-blooming love, homesickness, dancing and stories around the fire.

We perform Brahms’s complete Op. 92 and Op. 112 quartet cycles, featuring some of his most ravishing vocal writing; and we are delighted to present some exquisite, rarely-performed quartets by two of Brahms’s lesser-known contemporaries. Heinrich von Herzogenberg married one of Brahms's piano students and was a tireless advocate for his colleague's work. His Notturnos, Op. 22, are almost unbelievably harmonically rich and expansive, and the first movement of the cycle directly inspired Brahms’s more famous O schöne Nacht. Gustav Jenner, a generation younger and Brahms’s only formal student, wrote captivating quartets of rhetorical grandeur and humor. Together, these gorgeous miniatures, mostly not as well known as they deserve to be, make for a beautiful and satisfying evening of chamber music.

TICKETS

Damask presents a modern masterpiece, David Lang’s Little Match Girl Passion for four singers each playing percussion. This substantial work tells the Hans Christian Andersen story of an innocent girl’s death through the structure of a Bach Passion, with chorale-like sections reflection on her plight, an “Evangelist” narrative style, and a haunting final chorus. This contemplative program, performed without interval, strongly affects audiences of all ages and musical backgrounds and is a worthy counterpart to the more grand and well-known Passion repertoire.

TICKETS

Damask presents a powerful program of music appropriate for Passion season. We pair some of the most lovely and profound American melodies from various spiritual traditions--Shaker, Quaker, slave songs--with a modern masterpiece, David Lang’s Little Match Girl Passion for four singers each playing percussion. This substantial work tells the Hans Christian Andersen story of an innocent girl’s death through the structure of a Bach Passion, with chorale-like sections reflection on her plight, an “Evangelist” narrative style, and a haunting final chorus. This contemplative program, performed without interval, strongly affects audiences of all ages and musical backgrounds and is a worthy counterpart to the more grand and well-known Passion repertoire.

Tickets

O schöne Nacht -- beautiful night! DAMASK explores the sensual and mysterious possibilities of darkness in our program of Romantic quartets by masters of 19th-century song, including dreams sweet and terrifying, fantastic creatures, ghosts, silent longings and regrets, new-blooming love, homesickness, dancing and stories around the fire.

We perform Brahms’s complete Op. 92 and Op. 112 quartet cycles, featuring some of his most ravishing vocal writing; and we are delighted to present some exquisite, rarely-performed quartets by two of Brahms’s lesser-known contemporaries. Heinrich von Herzogenberg married one of Brahms's piano students and was a tireless advocate for his colleague's work. His Notturnos, Op. 22, are almost unbelievably harmonically rich and expansive, and the first movement of the cycle directly inspired Brahms’s more famous O schöne Nacht. Gustav Jenner, a generation younger and Brahms’s only formal student, wrote captivating quartets of rhetorical grandeur and humor. Together, these gorgeous miniatures, mostly not as well known as they deserve to be, make for a beautiful and satisfying evening of chamber music.

Damask presents a short program on one of the Netherlands’s most fun, laid-back and engaging summer festivals, including excerpts from our recent acclaimed CD release, O schöne Nacht.

This year, Damask will be making an appearance at Nijmegen’s Viergaadsefeesten. The ‘Kelfkensbosgarage’ is sure to be an interesting venue for this concert!

Koorbiënnale Festivalkoor
Kathedrale Koor St. Bavo

Béni Csillag, conductor

Nikki Treurniet, sopraan
Marine Fribourg, mezzosopraan
Guy Cutting, tenor
Drew Santini, bariton
Leo van Doeselaar, piano
Wyneke Jordans, piano
Geert Bierlings, harmonium

A note from the conductor…

“For the final concert of the 10th Koorbiënnale, I was looking for something colourful. This is such cheerful music, with a lot of swing. It is a very emotional piece, going from dark to light, and from very fast to very calm, and back. A harmonium is an unusual, but lovely instrument, so fitted to a concert hall. Our performance will begin and end with the St Bavo Choir School joining our own Festival Choir. And we have a nice surprise at the very end of the mass.”

Damask Vocal Quartet, special guests during the 2017 Choral Biennale, help coach the Festival Choir, and perform the soloists roles.

Singing In An Ensemble: Learn With The Professionals

Damask Vocal Quartet, Mattijs van de Woerd, Jan Willem Baljet (from the Frommermann Ensemble) and vocal coach Tijs Krammer will lead this intensive but enjoyable day focused on ensemble singing. The physical skill of singing, breathing techniques, energy management, focus, and the use of imagination are all elements that will feature in this day of workshops.

For more information and registration, you can send an email to: inschrijven@koorbiennale.nl.

Our final performance in Tautavel includes the well-known Liebeslieder Walzer by Brahms and Schumann’s wonderful song cycle, Minnespiel. We hope you enjoy the performance!

Our second performance at Tautavel festival will include Brahm’s op. 92 which features on Damask’s first recording - O schöne Nacht.

Damask is thrilled to be performing three times at the French festival, ‘Tautavel en Musique’. This first performance will include ‘Les Nuits d’été’ by Berlioz, sung by Marine and Guy.

Damask presents a powerful program of music appropriate for Passion season. We pair some of the most lovely and profound American melodies from various spiritual traditions--Shaker, Quaker, slave songs--with a modern masterpiece, David Lang’s Little Match Girl Passion for four singers each playing percussion. This substantial work tells the Hans Christian Andersen story of an innocent girl’s death through the structure of a Bach Passion, with chorale-like sections reflection on her plight, an “Evangelist” narrative style, and a haunting final chorus. This contemplative program, performed without interval, strongly affects audiences of all ages and musical backgrounds and is a worthy counterpart to the more grand and well-known Passion repertoire.

Damask presents a powerful program of music appropriate for Passion season. We pair some of the most lovely and profound American melodies from various spiritual traditions--Shaker, Quaker, slave songs--with a modern masterpiece, David Lang’s Little Match Girl Passion for four singers each playing percussion. This substantial work tells the Hans Christian Andersen story of an innocent girl’s death through the structure of a Bach Passion, with chorale-like sections reflection on her plight, an “Evangelist” narrative style, and a haunting final chorus. This contemplative program, performed without interval, strongly affects audiences of all ages and musical backgrounds and is a worthy counterpart to the more grand and well-known Passion repertoire.

general:
€20 in advance
€25 at the door

pay-what-you-can:
€15/€10/€5 (presale only)

This concert has several ticketing levels: the normal presale price of €20 plus pay-what-you-can. It's important to us that everyone who would like to hear this concert is able to, so feel free to select the ticket price that matches your needs. This offer is only good on tickets purchased ahead at the link above.

Tune in to ‘Podium’ on NPO Radio 4!

Damask will be performing extracts from our first CD, O schöne Nacht, released at the end of last year.

Damask will be returning to Haarlem to take part in the Koorbiënnale’s 'Day of Quartets', coaching amateur ensembles throughout the day. The 'Kwartettendag' is an initiative set up by the festival to promote musical interaction between professionals and amateurs. The coaching will focus on vocal technique, stage presentation and musical interpretation.

Please join Damask and Flore Merlin to celebrate the release of our first album, O schöne Nacht. It will be a festive evening of beautiful music—a few familiar Damask favorites, some music that is heard for the first time on the CD, and some that will be new to everyone!

Tickets are €25 and include a drink in the art gallery’s beautiful club bar (usually closed to the public in the evenings!). The Hague has been our home base for nearly five years now, and we look forward to raising a glass with our most loyal friends in celebration of this huge milestone and wrapping you in the warmest possible musical hug.

Seating in the Pulchri Studio is extremely limited (50 chairs) so please book early to avoid disappointment!

O schöne Nacht -- beautiful night! Please join Damask for a celebratory concert presenting our newly recorded CD for 7 Mountain Records. We will perform a program of quartets and piano pieces exploring the sensual and mysterious possibilities of night by masters of 19th-century song, including dreams sweet and terrifying, fantastic creatures, ghosts, silent longings and regrets, new-blooming love, homesickness, dancing and stories around the fire. You can of course buy the CD at the concert and get your copy signed by the artists.

We perform Brahms’s complete Op. 31, 92 and Op. 112 quartet cycles, featuring some of his most ravishing vocal writing; and we are delighted to present some exquisite, rarely-performed quartets by two of Brahms’s lesser-known contemporaries. Heinrich von Herzogenberg married one of Brahms's piano students and was a tireless advocate for his colleague's work. His Notturnos, Op. 22, are almost unbelievably harmonically rich and expansive, and the first movement of the cycle directly inspired Brahms’s more famous O schöne Nacht. Gustav Jenner, a generation younger and Brahms’s only formal student, wrote captivating quartets of rhetorical grandeur and humor. Together, these gorgeous miniatures, mostly not as well known as they deserve to be, make for a beautiful and satisfying evening of chamber music.

Tune in to hear Damask performing live on the Dutch Opium op 4 radio program! We will also be chatting about the music that features on our new CD and discussing the making of the disc.