Thijs Borsten breaks through with unique musical concept 'The Challenge'

Thijs Borsten blurs boundaries. Under the slogan 'The Challenge', he puts completely different artists on stage together. After years of struggling, the concept is now being embraced by media and audiences. Thijs has a chance to win his 6 minutes of fame in DWDD.

Bringing artists from different cultures together and labelling such a thing as a 'challenge'; that sounds very much like multiculti, good intentions and chaotic states. Those who have been around longer than today may now be getting an itch in hard-to-reach places.

But this time you don't have to. We are talking about The Challenge by Thijs Borsten (48). The theatre concept, which has entered its fourth season after a slow start, is suddenly being embraced by audiences and critics. The Challenge has been 'discovered' by the national media; from NRC to Telegraaf.

As a result of the rave reviews, the Amersfoort-based pianist and theatre-maker suddenly found himself moving from one interview to another. DWDD also made itself heard; whether he would like to sit on the reserve bench for a few broadcasts. Borsten remains calm about it: ''I can see it happening.''

What happens in The Challenge? ,,Two different singers get together; they sing their own and each other's repertoire, they talk about their backgrounds and they engage in duets. There is, of course, a lot of improvisation to be done. The audience sees it all unfold on the spot and can follow everything. This is in contrast to a lot of improvised music, which is unfathomable to the general audience.''

Deepest memory

What does this come down to specifically? ,,In the coming weeks, I will be on tour with the famous baritone Ernst Daniël Smid and the flamenco singer Erminia Ferdinándes Córdoba. To start with, they each sing a solo piece, accompanied by my trio: Ernst Daniël sings an aria by Mozart, Erminia a song of her own. Then they explain why they specifically chose this song.''

"Then comes the 'deepest memory' section; they sing a song from their early childhood that has meant a lot to them. Ernst Daniel chose 'Lord be my guide', which he used to sing in church. Erminia chose a very old song from the flamenco tradition. Of course I let them both tell me why they selected it. Every piece of music has history.''

This is followed by duets based on pieces that the singers have also brought along themselves, after which the performance takes a special turn when the singers attempt to sing each other's repertoire. "Ernst Daniël selected for Erminia Funiculi Funicula, a well-known Neapolitan folk song. Erminia takes a Spanish song for Ernst Daniël, which I had translated into Dutch for him.''

After this, the performance is only halfway through; the intermission will include a question-and-answer game with the audience (the audience asks, the singers answer while singing) and a mini-opera that Borsten composed especially for the occasion. ''I recently got a shocked Ernst Daniel on the phone: he had seen the transmitted sheet music and cried, 'I have to start studying!' 'Me too,' I said.''

Jam sessions

De Uitdaging more or less evolved from the weekly jam sessions in Amersfoort's Borra Theatre - now Miles Music Café - which Borsten led for many years. ,,At a certain point, I had seen all the jazz musicians in the region and was no longer interested in these jam sessions. I wanted to push the boundaries and approached Theatre De Lieve Vrouw, just down the road: could I perform there once a month on a quiet Monday evening, at my own risk? I also called artists outside jazz for that purpose and prepared the evenings well. So that became The Challenge.''

Since then, Borsten has learned a lot about selecting guest soloists. ,,You have to be careful with young pop singers, because they often have little cultural baggage but do have a manager, which makes it difficult to get them to speak for themselves. Jazz musicians improvise all day long; with them, the surprise is a bit off. However, they are indispensable as accompanists. Classical musicians have to be carefully selected, but eventually you find a few people who are thrilled to step in. The project with mezzo-soprano Tania Kross was a resounding success and was praised by reviewers. With world musicians, you have to make sure they know what the other guest is doing. If you put a Senegalese and a Turk together, there's a chance they won't know each other's music.''

BN'er on stage

Furthermore, it can't hurt to have at least one BN'er on stage, if only to encourage the influx. ,,I am very happy that we were able to get Ernst Daniel; he usually works for much higher fees and is incredibly busy. Through-via I was finally able to get hold of him. He has the authenticity I am looking for. He ís just a baritone, from head to toe. Just like Erminia ís flamenco.''

The Challenge has profoundly inspired previous participants. ''The singer Izaline Calister talks more about herself on stage these days. The singer/guitarist Fernando Lameirinhas and the singer Mola Sylla continued to work together after our tour.''

The Challenge is still evolving after four seasons. ,,Next year, I will do a tour with 'Billie Holiday versus Bob Marley'. Denise Jannah will play Billie Holiday, Pieter Both of the reggae band Beef will play Bob Marley. Let's see what that brings.''