The Counterpoints

Created especially for the Grachtenfestival, InMotion and The Counterpoints present a unique performance in which music, imagery and history come together. Surrounding Amsterdam’s largest scale model, the story of the city unfolds through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: an era of trade, cultural exchange and a flourishing musical life. Historical facts and visual elements bring Amsterdam’s past vividly to life.

With music by Sweelinck, Van Eyck, Corelli and Sammartini, The Counterpoints transport audiences into the sound world of the Baroque. Dutch masters take centre stage, alongside Italian music that spread across Europe through Amsterdam's publishing houses. Van Eyck's improvisations at Utrecht's Janskerkhof and Sweelinck's influential style provide the starting point for a varied programme of dances, variations and sonatas. A unique experience in which past and present meet.

The Counterpoints, appearing in this concert as recorder player Thomas Triesschijn and harpsichordist Aljosja Mietus, have performed at venues including the Concertgebouw and the Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht. Their CD La Querelleusereceived an Editor’s Choice distinction from Gramophone Magazine. Triesschijn has collaborated with ensembles such as the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Vox Luminis, while Mietus has performed nationally and internationally as a soloist, continuo player, and chamber musician.

Musicians

Thomas Triesschijn recorder

Aljosja Mietus harpsichord