“Echoes of Eternity”

Concert Premiere at Zurich’s Grossmünster

November 9, 2024

Roland van Straaten, Harmonica Solo

Concert Review:

Poetic Magic in Zurich’s Grossmünster

Can a tiny harmonica fill an entire cathedral?

Yes, it can – as the renowned Zurich musician Roland van Straaten once again demonstrated on November 9, 2024, at the well-attended Grossmünster in Zurich.

Dressed in a black tunic with a flowing blue scarf, Roland van Straaten stepped onto the stage of the Grossmünster. With his opening piece, “Il tempo non fugge”, its delicate harmonica notes paired with the sampled sound of a music box, van Straaten transported the audience into a magical, enchanting soundscape reminiscent of the whimsical charm of the film “Amélie de Montmartre”. The wonderful, dreamy melody of “Il tempo non fugge”, tinged with a hint of melancholy, became a recurring motif throughout the evening. “The journey continued with ‘Les mystères’ and then to ‘Catania Hotel’, the first blues piece – a specialty of the harmonica, which Roland van Straaten commands with exceptional skill.” In “Cantus 4 Winds”, the ethereal tones of the music box came to life, each note seeming to fall into the space like drops from a stalactite cave, distant and otherworldly. When the harmonica rose above with its melody, one could almost feel transported to the vastness of a steppe, tundra, or desert.

In “Golden Light”, synth-like sounds and tones reminiscent of J. S. Bach resonated through the space. “Ne Zil Râ” inevitably evoked thoughts of film scores once more, and during the well-known “Orientango”, the artist spontaneously danced down the central aisle of the Grossmünster with a lady from the audience, all while playing the enchanting tango on his harmonica. Another piece from van Straaten’s new program, written at Zurich’s Hotel Widder, “Aries Castle”, again evoked the atmosphere of a French film. “September Loss” told a story of lost love, carrying a poignant yet comforting tone: the crystal-clear sounds of the sampled music box flowed unrelentingly from the speakers, while the blues rose above it, never faltering.

The final two pieces, “Origin of Words” and “Jarrett Blues”, concluded the evening’s journey through worlds near and far. “Origin of Words” conjured an incredible sense of vastness; with eyes closed, one might imagine riding a horse across the majestic landscapes of Mongolia. After a resounding applause, during which the audience rose from their pews, van Straaten offered an encore, dressed in a white tunic: the Orientango and the enchanting opening melody, “Il tempo non fugge”, once more filled the church with their poetic magic.

Nina Müller, Journalist

Cupping the hands has been an essential human gesture for thousands of years. Nomads have used it to draw water from a well; monks have used it to urge God's love into their hearts; Roland van Straaten uses it to ease his harmonica to smooth and vibrant life.

The harmonica, or blues harp, has long held a firm place in both African-American music and the European folk tradition. Straaten has taken this small metal object and he leads it from the passion of Blues and Tango to the sensuality of oriental song. The secret of his success - in churches, festivals and concert halls - lies in the phenomenal range of expression he coaxes from an instrument that is still hugely underrated.

Roland van Straaten takes his audience on musical journeys from the Mississippi to the Ganges: dancing through Europe's bucolic idylls one moment, sinking into the groves of Zen monasteries the next. Not for nothing have some critics seen his work as one possible realisation of Stockhausen's dream of the "polyphony of styles". However we choose to describe it: listening to Straaten is a moving and mystical experience. Because in Roland van Straaten's hands, the harmonica assumes its new and rightful place in the orchestra of the world.