Composer’s Spotlight: Davy van der Hoeven performs ‘Baroque Flamenco’

Composer’s Spotlight Series: Davy van der Hoeven plays ‘Baroque Flamenco’

Davy van der Hoeven finds playing ‘Baroque Flamenco’ both fascinating and challenging. Having loved the piece since childhood, Davy was drawn to its expressiveness and diverse rhythms. Learning it has allowed him to explore new techniques and expand his musical repertoire beyond classical norms.

Reflecting on his experience, Davy advises future learners to focus on mastering harp slides, which are crucial for the piece’s authenticity. If he can work directly with the composer, he would like to gain insight into the piece’s composition and interpretation.

Continue reading below for the full interview with Davy van der Hoeven

Watch Davy van der Hoeven as he plays Baroque Flamenco at his high-school concert on the 15th of June 2023 in the Arminius Church in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. 

A Mini-Interview with Davy

How would you describe your experience of playing the piece?

Fascinating, challenging and a lot of fun!

What do people say when you play this piece? Do you have favorite memories of people’s reactions to it?

They like the music a lot. They don’t expect this to come from a pedal harp at all. People often think about classical music when seeing my instrument and are surprised when you play Spanish flamenco style music.

What drew you to this piece – why did you choose to learn it?

I always liked it since I heard it for the first time when I was just a small kid. I wanted to play this and now finally I had the right technique to pick up the challenge. I like the expressiveness of the piece and all the different kind of rhythms and techniques that are used, up to even playing percussion during the performance.

What does this piece add to your repertoire (and/or your life) that you didn’t have before?

It gives me the possibility to use the harp in a totally different way and it enables me to really make music that I like a lot instead of playing just the classical pieces for harp.

What would you tell someone else who’s thinking of learning this piece that you wish you’d known before you learned it?

I wish I would have had more experience with playing slides on the harp. They are an essential part of the piece and need to be right to get the maximum out of it.

What do you think you can get from working directly with the composer of the piece that you can’t get from the sheet music?

I would love to know why certain parts have been written like they are and what was the idea behind it. That would make it easier to get the maximum out of the music.

Please follow this artist on social media and let them know what has opened up for your own self-expression in seeing and hearing their performance, and please share in the comments below.

Youtube: Andre van der Hoeven

Stay tuned for more artists soon and check out my Composer’s Spotlight blog series, featuring other talented musicians who played my song!