More about Justyna
My mother played the violin and when I lay in my bed at night and heard her practicing, I did not understand how you could conjure music from such a beautiful looking instrument. I hesitated for a while between the piano and violin, but precisely because the violin seemed more unattainable and I remained curious about it, I chose the violin. I now play a 2019 violin; after a long search, I found a beautiful violin made by Andrew Finnigan and Pia Klaembt. I never thought I would end up with a newly built violin! Yet it was this one that stole my heart; an instrument with a warm and full sound and still in full development. That I am the first player of this violin is really special; we are discovering each other and the search is far from over!
2004
Violin at Royal Conservatoire The Hague in The Hague with Peter Brunt, Kees Hülsmann and Janet Krause and two years of art history at the University of Amsterdam.
Beethoven
What do I like to listen to?
Schubert's Arpeggione sonata is a work more often played on instruments other than the instrument for which it was written, the arpeggione! On this CD you will hear the music played on the arpeggione, and that is exactly how it was intended. With the sound of this instrument in his mind, Schubert composed the sonata. The piece itself has an additional meaning for me, because I played it with my family for my father, when he was still able to come to a concert, and later, after his death also at the Last farewell. It always remains moving. This CD also includes Schubert's masterpiece, his string quintet. The second movement is unsurpassed, no matter which performance you listen to....
Furthermore, it is difficult to find favorite works. There is so much beauty. My love for the orchestra and orchestral repertoire certainly came from being introduced to Mahler, Shostakovich and Bruckner, as well as Franck's Symphony, the first symphony I played at Residentie Orkest ! Bruckner 9 I thought was one of the highlights of last season.
Beethoven. I like to refer to all his string quartets, especially those from his middle and late periods. His symphonies are also fantastic, with one of the highlights being the Allegretto, the second movement of the Seventh Symphony.
And finally, Bach's St. Matthew Passion. It is a privilege to play it every year.
The moment I am most looking forward to is the aria "Aus Liebe," for soprano, flute and two oboes da caccia. When Carolyn Sampson sang this aria with us years ago, I didn't know what I was hearing, what a voice! It remains for me the most moving moment in the St. Matthew Passion.
The Hague String Trio
The Hague String Trio was founded in 2006 by Justyna Briefjes, Julia Dinerstein and Miriam Kirby. They met in The Hague after years of study and work in many countries, including Russia, Mexico, Norway, England, Germany and the Netherlands, and came together to share their love of chamber music. Since then, they have formed into a close-knit ensemble.
The trio enjoys exploring the vast string trio repertoire, from the beloved masterpieces to lesser-known compositions that they believe are worth hearing. They work closely with composers such as Robin Holloway, Kerry Woodward, Arne Werkman and Reza Nakisa, as well as other musicians, including oboist Pauline Austria and pianist Daniel Kramer, with whom they have given many concerts. Since season '21/'22, they have started a new collaboration with pianist Ksenia Kouzmenko.
The Hague String Trio performs throughout the Netherlands as well as abroad such as England, Germany, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
Released in 2019, the CD After the Darkness consists of works by Jewish composers whose lives were destroyed in World War II by persecution, murder or exile. The CD has been rewarded with wonderful reviews at home and abroad; from Gramophone, a rating of 10 in Listen, a Supersonic award from Pizzicato of Luxembourg and a 4-star review in BBC Music Magazine. After the Darkness was also nominated for the 2020 International Classical Music Awards in the Chamber Music category.
Their most recent CD, Celebrating Women! is a collection of never-before-recorded string trios by female composers from the second half of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. It too received many positive reviews, including 5 stars from Pizzicato, and MusicWeb International's reviewer wrote, "Professionals to their fingertips...the performances are excellent.
Both CDs were chosen as CD of the Week on the Passaggio radio program on NPO Radio 4.
Justyna and Miriam are both members of the Residentie Orkest in The Hague and Julia is a leading viola teacher at several conservatories in the Netherlands.
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