Description
A long-standing artistic kinship lies at the heart of this project, with first encounters
dating back to the early 2000s in Belgian musical improv theatre. Van der Harst’s
lifelong experience in improvised music and music theatre, spanning back to the
1980s, combined with a vast arsenal of rare and historical instruments, opens new
tonal territories within the Razen universe.
These explorations are not incidental: his family roots in the former Dutch East Indies
— through his great-grandfather — provide a quiet backdrop to his enduring affinity
for Asian musical traditions. Instruments such as erhu, Javanese kacapi, and others
introduce timbres that bring the music its most pronounced Asian inflections to date.
Yet despite this shift in colour, the underlying ethos remains unmistakably Razen.
Working from sound rather than form, the ensemble approaches music as painters
approach a canvas: adding layers, contrasts and shades with care. There is no
soloist’s ego here; all voices are equal, echoing principles found in gamelan
traditions.
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