North Sea String Quartet | Splunge
George Dumitriu, Pablo Rodríguez, Yanna Pelser, Thomas van Geelen
Photo: Federico Castell
“The North Sea String Quartet sounds incredibly connected, like the musicians are four appendices of the same body. Exciting compositions keep their audiences engaged. We are being convinced, to put it mildly, to step into a fascinating universe.“
Mats Hallberg (SE), kulturbloggen.com (2023)
Take a splunge! Dive into undiscovered waters, beneath an enticingly sparkling surface and into the unknown depths of music, where the genre of the string quartet is defined anew and with liberty. We are talking about the North Sea String Quartet and their most recent album Splunge, which will be released in May of 2024 and consists entirely of original compositions and freely improvised pieces.
In 2016, violinists George Dumitriu and Pablo Rodríguez, viola player Yanna Pelser and cellist Thomas von Geelen founded the North Sea String Quartet in the Netherlands. They were motivated by a desire to create an acoustic group that would develop classical string sounds further, grooving and swinging in the process.
Approximately since the time of Josef Haydn, historically speaking, the string quartet has been considered the most ambitious format for musical progress, and has been known for the equitable, even democratic exchange between their members, paired with the highest expectations in regards to composition and interpretation. The North Sea String Quartet does not compromise in order to fulfill these aspects while looking towards the musical future.
Their new album is a spectacular demonstration of talent for musical and technical metamorphosis. The four-part suite titled WTTT frames the rest of the program, with two parts in the beginning and the last two parts at the end of the CD. This brings us into a creative process in which wonderful creations grow colorfully.
For part of the album, a syncopal–heavy beat structure originating from drum and bass music – a polyrhythmic techno derivate – becomes the supporting element. Pablo Rodríguez uses an electronic “stompbox“ to imitate the sound of a bass drum. Effects like delay and distortion are simulated acoustically, paired with a multitude of innovative percussive techniques on the string instruments. And yes: there is a lot of room for improvisation.
The short title piece Splunge is entirely freely improvised and inserts harsh, percussive impulses on the instruments‘ strings and bodies. Carousel mutates from a strict contrapunctuality to a tightly minimalistic structure, which however begins breathing more and more lightly and finally gives way to a melody.
The bebop-like rhythmic structure of Cryptosplash captures the room in a clipped pizzicato. American saxophone player Steve Coleman and Indian-American pianist Vijay Iyer gave the inspiration for the musical ideas emerging from this piece. More heavy and stationary are the sound carpets in Squirrels on Ice, before they turn into an elastically phrased country blues. One Night Music Stand responds with calm, hovering sounds with little vibrato. In the next moment, the string quartet mutates again into a boiling percussion ensemble in the piece Roller, and it can get loud!
Not loud at all is Mouse Rave, where delicate soundbits on the strings joyfully jump around each other. Mojito offers even more syncopal celebration. Choroesque begins with very onomatopoeic sounds, before George Dumitriu gives his jazzy showdown on the violin.
You have to be careful not to miss the last boat which can carry you back to shore and away from this island of musical happiness. Last Ferry accordingly sounds like an elegic comment. In the second free improvisation Splunge Out, the tones of the flageolet glisten like sparkling points of light on water.
George Dumitriu, Pablo Rodríguez, Yanna Pelser and Thomas von Geelen are not just outstanding musicians who enthrall audiences in concert houses worldwide and at numerous international festivals. Beyond that, they are engaged ambassadors for the unlimited possibilities of string instruments. When on tour, they give workshops and master classes at musical academies and universities, teaching unconventional methods of sound production and improvisation.
George Dumitriu, born in Romania and based in Amsterdam, is very sought after as a violinist, violist, and guitarist. He graduated from the national university of music in Bucharest and has won many national and international awards. In addition to his classical background, he studied jazz guitar in Groningen, New York, and at the conservatory of Amstderdam, where he also experimented with live electronic. As the director of DUMItRIO, he has made several albums, and he leads the project soFar soNear. His solo project Monk on Viola offers an innovative perspective on the music of Thelonious Monk. Dumitriu performs internationally with various ensembles and has worked with renown artists like Ambrose Akinmusire, Theo Loevendie, and Michel Godard. He is currently a faculty member at the conservatory of Utrecht and a founding member of Romanian Jazz International.
Pablo Rodríguez was born on La Palma, Canary Islands, and began playing the violin at age six. Inspired by Stéphane Grappelli, he quickly developed his own jazz language on violin, which he further developed in different musical styles like flamenco, folk, and latin. In addition to his passion for improvisation, he studied classical violin in Madrid and Rotterdam. Pablo has performed in many concert halls and at many festivals and has worked with famous artists like Jorge Pardo and Carles Benavent.
Yanna Pelser, born in Delft (Netherlands), began playing violin at age five and later switched to viola. She has developed an extraordinary ability to similtuaneously sing and play her instruments. She is known for her openness towards different music genres. Beyond her classical education, she has worked with jazz and pop artists and is often invited to studio projects. Pelser regularly performs with different ensembles and is currently working on her debut album as singing violist.
Thomas van Geelen was born in Tilburg (Netherlands) and began playing cello when he was ten; he later grew an interest in progressive rock and jazz. He studied classical cello and jazz at the conservatory and has won numerous awards and various competitions. Van Geelen is a sought-after studio musician and regularly performs with renown ensembles, among them the Metropole Orkest and Coal Harbour.