Wouter Vossen has been concertmaster at the Residentie Orkest since 2018 . He is also a violinist in the Storioni Trio, which is causing a furor far beyond the country's borders and will even perform with the Residentie Orkest this season. What kind of trio is that? And what does Wouter think of the new hall in Amare?

"I think Amare is a great success!" says Wouter enthusiastically. "The Concert Hall sounds wonderful, and it is perfect in size. We can play the entire orchestral repertoire there, including the greatest symphonies. What stands out is the intimate atmosphere in the hall; as an orchestra member, you feel embraced by the audience during concerts. There are not many concert halls that have that. Also very nice is the interaction with the Royal Conservatoire The Hague, which is becoming more and more intense. All those music students walking around Amare , and sitting in the hall during our rehearsals: inspiring!"

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New cultural heart of TheHague
"After the somewhat difficult years in the Zuiderstrandtheater, Amare allows our orchestra to grow enormously. This is due to the good acoustics, which promotes playing together, but it is also a mental issue: the pride we feel in 'our' venue. Conductors, soloists, the audience: it makes everyone happy. Amare attracts more and more, and younger audiences too! Last season we played Shostakovich's Tenth Symphony, and afterwards I met numerous wildly enthusiastic youngsters. I hope that local politicians will also notice all this and appreciate it positively. Amare has incredible potential. This is the new cultural heart of The Hague, and it deserves generous support and care."

Herman Krebbers
In another time and in another Concert Hall, the Building for Arts and Sciences, the Residentie Orkest played for many years under concertmaster Herman Krebbers. In the 1990s, he became Wouter's teacher. "Herman Krebbers was a great inspiration to me. He was already in his seventies, but he still played the entire violin repertoire at a very high level. We got to know each other well; a bond of friendship developed during those years. After my studies we kept in touch. That I am now concertmaster of the Residentie Orkest myself feels very special."

Storioni Trio
Herman Krebbers was also a violinist in the Guarneri Trio, with cellist Jean Decroos and pianist Danièle Dechenne. "During my violin studies, I formed the Storioni Trio with pianist Bart van de Roer and my brother Marc Vossen on the cello. When this took on serious traits, Herman Krebbers gave me his scores of just about the entire piano trio repertoire. A great gift!"

The Storioni Trio, named after the maker of Wouter's 1794 violin, performs all over the world. "We've been around for almost thirty years now, but it's as if we gave our first concert last night in the Concertgebouw's Recital Hall, where we sat on the edge of the stage afterwards, panting. The three of us are a close-knit club. There is friendship, collegiality, respect, pleasure in playing. And our annual Storioni festival in Eindhoven is always a great joy, with all those musicians making music together ad hoc."

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Storioni Trio together with Residentie Orkest
On Friday, April 26, the Storioni Trio and the Residentie Orkest will host the Dutch premiere of a Triple Concerto composed by the renowned Finnish composer Sebastian Fagerlund. The work was written for the Storioni Trio; Fagerlund previously composed a piano trio for them. Fagerlund's extensive oeuvre includes chamber music, solo concertos, orchestral works and an opera. "His music really appeals to me," Wouter says. "It is not abstract or atonal, but written from the heart, emotional music, with beautiful melodies. We are very curious about the Triple Concerto."
Ronald Touw