In a sold-out Geertekerk in Utrecht, the company celebrated Camerata Trajectina exuberantly celebrated its fortieth anniversary yesterday. In those four decades, the ensemble has worked tirelessly to put the Dutch song repertoire from the Middle Ages to the Golden Age on the map, not only on stages, but also on sound carriers. Entirely in style, attendees were treated to a varied programme in which scabrous lyrics, ferocious battle songs and subdued lamentations were naturally juxtaposed.
On video screens we watched the ensemble perform national commemorations, such as the Union of Utrecht (1979), William of Orange (1984) and Hieronymus Bosch (2009), and the poet Gerrit Komrij recite his 'translation' of the song Girl is your pussy raw? by Jacob Obrecht. Which was then given a hilarious rendition by tenor Nico van Meel and soprano Hieke Meppelink. Characteristic of the ensemble, which is still young at forty, is the mutual banter and the enormous joy in playing, which guarantee infectious and high-quality performances. All this was talked together with great humour by lutenist/artistic director Louis Grijp and recorder player/gamba player Saskia Coolen.
Moving was the moment when the founders - alongside Jos van Veldhoven a fragile Jan Nuchelmans - performed the Gentsch Vader Onse, together with the current musicians of Camerata Trajectina. Jolande van der Klis presented the two pioneers with the first copy of her anniversary book From Peeckel herring to Pierlala. She recalled how in 1974 Nuchelmans and Van Veldhoven were still very much looking 'for form and content. Anyway, such a programme with a lot of little pieces of music raced through a couple of centuries, playing on a lot of different instruments'.
Van der Klis quoted as an illustration from an early programme book: 'The instrumentarium consists of recorders (from bass to garkleinflötlein), cromhorns, cornamuses, viola, gamba, lute and percussion. As far as possible, it is constantly being supplemented. Currently, a small harp, hurdy-gurdy and chimes are on order.' Although explanatory notes were lacking in the early years, the ensemble promised to answer all questions 'in the following languages: Dutch, German, English, French, Italian and Swedish.' In short, Camerata had 'boundless ambitions', according to Van der Klis.
And that hasn't changed a bit. So launched Martine de Bruin, ethnology project leader of the Meertens Institute the database 'Camerata Trajectina in the Dutch Song Bank', which brings together all the works the company has (re)discovered in its long existence. With its typical love for the Dutch language, Camerata Trajectina uses the Flemish name 'webstek' for this. Here, since yesterday, you can also listen to the nearly one thousand recordings the ensemble released on elpee and CD. The song bank was awarded the Dutch Data Award.
The highlight of the afternoon was the awarding of the Visser-Neerlandia Prize of the General Dutch Confederation. This was introduced by a fine laudatio by Professor Doctor Frank Willaert of the University of Antwerp. He praised the versatility of Camerata Trajectina: 'Hadewijch, but also Hazes. Sweelinck, but also the street song. Vondel, but also Komrij. The motet, but also the contrafact. The gamba, but also the rumble-pot. High Dutch, but also Waterlands. And flat Amsterdamish, and Hagueish, and Flemish, and Frisian.'
In short, according to Willaert, the ensemble covers 'a repertoire that has no exclusives'. With their commitment and enthusiasm, the musicians have 'revived texts and genres that, at best, remained locked away in the seminar rooms of our universities or - worse - in the warehouses of our libraries [...] and returned them to the Dutch-speaking community. That this was possible is due to a happy, but therefore not obvious, marriage between science and art, in this case especially between musicology and music.'
The afternoon ended with the dazzling Drinck-Liedt on the Peeckel Herring, performed by all past and present members of Camerata Trajectina, supplemented by a host of guest musicians. Given the relentless energy of all involved, at least forty more years lie ahead.
English (UK) 
Nederlands 
Français 
