Remgewogen

ARTIST's NOTE - For a long time, I have cherished the idea of making of an album dedicated to Dutch compositions written for the classical guitar. During my studies at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague between 2008 and 2014, I developed a strong curiosity about the relationship between creating and performing musicians, in current times and in the past.

To expand my knowledge on this topic, I worked with living composers whose collaboration I dearly treasure. The realisation of Remgewogen is a project that I have been looking forward to immensely. The process of actively working with composers has contributed to my musicianship, and further inspired me to compose for the classical guitar.

- Martin van Hees, guitarist

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PRODUCER'S NOTE - In many ways, I think recording an album as a soloist is one of the most difficult things to do. One might argue that with no other musicians around you to care about, recording would be a breeze. However, as a soloist, there’s nobody else in the ensemble to hide behind, and all details are laid bare for all eyes to see (or rather: all ears to hear?).

Conversely, there’s also something very formidable and strong about performing on a solo recording. You’re all alone in this big venue such as the Lutheran Church in Haarlem, against this army of microphones, picking up every thing you do, every move you make. It takes strength and courage.

And it’s specifically this what made the recording session with Martin van Hees so truly inspiring. It’s not just the love and passion for contemporary music and the will to extend the repertoire for the classical guitar that made this project what it is, but it’s the strength to sit alone in this church for three days straight, under the ever-watching eye of a recording system that doesn’t hide any detail or palliate any mistake.

The recording itself, which took place in July 2018, was just an absolute feast to me as producer; the repertoire has so many different sides to it, from Roderik de Man’s mysterious Dulcamara to the completely insane Remgewogen by Christiaan Richter, every piece has its very own identity, and Martin proved a master of displaying all these different angles. I feel proud to have worked with an artist such as Martin, and hope to produce many more interesting works with him in the future.

- Brendon Heinst, producer