Songs (click on the -icons for audio)
1. Kiosk
2. Eugène 19
3. Arantane
4. Nokh a Glezl Vayn
5. Wietse aan Zee
6. Tango Mormont
7. L'indifférence de la Foule
8. Perpetuum Mobile
9. Tango Tout Court
10. Menorah
11. Papirosn
12. Klezmer Di
13. Das Klingellt Vohl

Music : traditionals, Trio Dor, Astor Piazzolla, Toni Murena, J. Colombo, A. Cabral, Dirk Brossé.

Muzikanten :
-Wietse Beels : violin
- Gwen Cresens : accordion
- Vlad Weverbergh : clarinet

Recorded at Studio Toots (VRT), December 1998
Production : Guido Defever i.o. van Jeugd en Muziek Vlaanderen en Radio 3
Illustration : "Zlaty Vek" by Frantisek Kysela. Band Picture copyright : Herman Selleslags.

Band Biography

In 1998 TRIO DOR was awarded the Jeugd en Muziek Vlaanderen 'Début prize for chamber music". The jury : "TRIO DOR distinguishes itself by its inventive approach to the existing repertoire for a rather unusual combination of instruments, as well as by its ability to combine traditional world music with improvisation. The fact that TRIO DOR makes no attempt to mimic existing ensembles testifies to their personality and daring. The individual members of the trio have already demonstrated their exceptional musical abilities and their longlasting collaboration has brought many audiences a wealth of enjoyment and promises a bright future."

TRIO DOR first got together in 1992, and consists of Wietse Beels, violin, Gwen Cresens, accordion, and Vlad Weverbergh, clarinet and bass-clarinet. TRIO DOR performs its own arrangements and interpretations of European traditional music, mainly of Balkan and Slavonic origin (Eugène 19, Arantane, Wietse aan Zee), as wel as related self-composes music (Das Klingellt Vohl, Perpetuum Mobile). The group also includes several klezmer repertoire pieces in its programme (Menorah, Nokh a Glezl Vayn, Papirosn, Klezmer Di, Kiosk) and makes occasional contact with styles like tango (Tango Mormont, Tango Tout Court of the contemporarry Flemish composer Dirk Brossé), valse-musette (L'Indifférence de la Foule) and contemporary classical music. TRIO DOR regularly plays concerts and has on several occasions performed with authentic gypsy orchestras.

In 1995 TRIO DOR won the "Città di Castelfiordo" prize in Italy. TRIO DOR toured Roumania in 1993. In '96 it composed and performed the music for a series of seven television documentaries, entitled "Monasteries and Abbeys of Eastern-Europe", a co-production of Belgian and Dutch television. Recently the trio accomplished a promotional tour of throughout Sweden, performed in the Winter Gardens of the Belgian Royal Palace and was invited to play at the Arts Market in Antwerp, invited by Radio 3 (the Flemish classical music station). TRIO DOR currently tours the Belgian "Music Life Now" and the Dutch "Kunst in de Kamer" circuits.

DOR is a typical Roumanian word, which can be roughly translated as "spleen" or "nostalgia". It is perfectly applicable to the doïna, the most typical of Roumanian folk melodies.

GWEN CRESENS - accordion
Graduated cum laude from the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp, where he studied accordion and music pedagogy. He was also vividly acclaimed for his final performance in his chamber music class, where he finished with special honour.
Gwen performed for radio and television and toured France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switserland, Australia, Sweden and Roumania. He contributed to concerts of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Flanders, the Antwerp Jeugd en Muziek Orkest and several chamber music groups. In 1995 he founded the ensemble Tanguedia, mainly performing the music of the famous bandeonist-composer Astor Piazzolla.
Gwen Cresens contributed to the making of several music scores for television documentaries (VRT, ARTE) as well as filmic production. He gave his artistic support to severel well-known Belgian variety artist, a.o. Jo Lemaire, Stef Bos, Luk De Vos and Tine Reymer.
He plays in the ensemble "Les P'tits Belges" and toured worldwide with "Les Ballets C. de la B"-production "La Tristeza Complice" (choreographer Alain Platel, composer Dick Van der Harst).

WIETSE BEELS - violin
is currently studying at the Rotterdam Conservatoire with J.J.Kantorow and I.Grubert. He attended master classes of V. Tretjakow, T. Varga, the late P. Hirshhorn and the Melos String Quartet.
Wietse plays recitals with the Japanese pianist Yasuko Takahashi and appeared solo with the Brussels International Youth Orchestra. Walter Boeykens, the renowned clarinet virtuoso, frequently appeals to him for the "Walter Boeykens Ensemble".
In 1995 Wietse Beels became laureate of the "Muziekwedstrijd van het Gemeentekrediet".

VLAD WEVERBERGH - clarinet
is currently refining his talents on the clarinet at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp under Walter Boeykens. He followed masterclasses with Aurelian Octav Popa, Walter Boeykens, the Melos String Quartet, Guy Deplus. In 1996 Vla attented the "Interpretationskurs" at the "Europaïsche Musikakademie Bonn", with Hans Deinzer.
Vlad became laureate in the following competitions : International Clarinet Contest Aurelian Octav Popa (Roumenia, 1993), Fedecam Flanders (1994), Concours Européen pour Jeunes Solistes (Luxemburg, 1994), Gemeentekrediet (1995) and Tenuto (1997).
Despite his youth, he already played solo with the Hungarian Festival Orchestra, the Brussels International Youth Orchestra, the Filarmonica George Enescu (Roumania), The Philharmonia Hungarica, The VRT Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Antwerp Conservatoire.
Vlad performed on radio and television for VRT, KRO, EBU, Bayerische Rundfunk, Die Deutsche Welle and the Roumanian Radio and has been invited to contribute to avant-garde productions, a.o. with the trendsetting ensemble Champ d'Action.

My opinion

Kinda peculiar what one is getting in one's mailbox, sometimes. In my case there was - apart from the regular pile of advertising, junkmail, newspapers, political propaganda and other assorted junk - sometime ago a white coated envelope with in it a cd of Trio dor. Attached a nice request for a review in the Belgian Pop & Rock Archives of the debut cd of this classical music trio that won the debut prize of Jeugd en Muziek 1998. Not exactly " "gefundenes fressen" for this "Pop & Rock" Archive in any case. And yet the taste was quite good.
The Trio consists of an accordion, a violin and a clarinet. Quite an unusual combination for a "chamber orchestra" in these parts of the hemisphere. There's more accordance with eastern-european orchestra's, klezmerbands, gypsy-groups. Their repertoire also leans more in that direction, although there are also some excursions into tango, contemporary classical and musette. These excursions prove to be the most exciting track on the cd : "Tango Mormont" (originally of Astor Piazolla) got a chilling, 10 minutes long, tension-driven version. Also the very filmic musette "L'indefférence de la foule" and the easily recognizable klezmer song "Klezmer Di" jump out. "Filmic" is an adjective that came to my mind quite often listening to the hour and 10 minutes that this CD lasts.
Technically these three young musicians (young by classical standards, if they were rockmusicians nobody would talked about their age), are not perfect, as even my - untrained - ear can spot. On some - usually hectic - moments the melody gets away with them, instead of the other way 'round. There are also a number of passages where the three get into the high notes of their instruments together, something that produces a very strident noise with a clarinet, accordion and violin.
Although the Trio Dor has some points in common with the debut album that Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung (nowadays D.A.A.U.) produced, Trio Dor is not immediately rock-festival material. Although they prove with this cd they have got guts, they seem also somewhat too traditional in their approach (or can play too virtuosely already?).
I'm keeping an eye on that mailbox, hoping that one day there will be more surprises like this one.

And your opinion?
Did I get it all wrong, or was I spot-on ? Do you want to share your opinion about this cd ? Send it in, and I'll put it up here !

This Album in the Press

- MB in De Standaard : "Drie jonge musici die alternatieve paden bewandelen naast de klassieke carrière die ze aan het opbouwen zijn. De cd die Radio 3 .. opnam is een overweldigend bewijs van de enorme capaciteiten van dit prille drietal ... Ze demonstreren een affiniteit met het materiaal die je zelden bijl klassieke musici hoort."
- M.D. in Weekend Knack : "Het is geen "klassieke" muziek, jazz al evenmin en "pop" al helemaal niet. ... Opvallend is hun zeer dynamisch samenspel waaruit een intense muzikale vreugde straalt".
- TE in Tijd Cultuur: "De drie muzikanten getuigen op deze cd zowel van individuele technische en muzikale kwaliteiten, als van een enthousiast en degelijk samenspel. Hun inleving in dit niet alledaagse repertoire is bewonderingswaardig. De degelijkheid van hun vertolking en het oveschrijden van de klassieke muzikale grenzen maakt hun cd bestemd voor een breed publiek".
- Dirk Fryns in Stage : "Trio Dor presenteert een fijne mix van hedendaags klassiek, volks- en wereldmuziek en laten hun persoonlijkheid en durf meermaals de vrije loop".

Did you see a good (or bad) review of this album ? Tell me about it !

More about this group :

- Contact : Karla Verlie, graaf van Hoornestraat 38, 2000 Antwerpen. Tel + fax : 03/248.64.12
- Radio 3 ??

Where to buy this CD ?

You can order this CD from a number of locations (prices researched on July 12th, 1999, but nothing guarantees they still are the same when you read this).

Shop	Price of the CD	Shipping + other expenses	Total	Direct Link
Frontstage		50
Azur		0
HVH-Megastore		54
Proxis		95

The lowest price is in yellow, the highest in red. This price comparison doesn't take things into account like deduction of shipping expenses when ordering more than 1 cd, bonus points, differences in guarantees ... Shipping prices are those for customers in Belgium.

Have you seen this record elsewhere on the net, do you own an online-CD-shop with Belgian products in it, or if there's something wrong with my calculations : let me know.

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