What initially brought you together as an ensemble, and what inspired the choice of your name?
“The three of us met at the Royal College of Music, London (RCM) during our postgraduate studies. What brought us together was our shared passion for discovery of new repertoire and creating exciting musical experiences for our audiences. In our first year, for example, we performed together in concerts featuring the music of fantastic composers including Weinberg, Adés, Farrenc, and Lutyens. Since then we have been on a mission to bring to light as many hidden gems as possible!
Our name Delphine Trio was inspired by the Temple of Apollo at Delphi – Apollo was the Greek god of music, healing and light.”
Each of you comes from different backgrounds, with origins in Australia, the Netherlands, and South Africa. How does this diversity influence your musical approach and interpretation?
“It’s always a special thing to be able to work with people from different corners of the earth! Despite our different backgrounds, we instantly connected so well when we first met and played together and have loved working together ever since. We each bring different experiences and expertise to the trio that means we all learn from each and become stronger as a whole.”
Adrift shares an exploration of various composers and their works, intertwined with themes of migration, displacement, and cultural diversity. What is the vision behind your debut album and what process did you follow in creating this program?
“We started thinking of recording an album when we discovered Leighton’s Fantasy on an American Hymn Tune in the RCM library. As soon as we picked it up we knew this was a profound and moving work and found it utterly exhilarating to play. It was so important to us to share this incredible music with a wider audience.
Thus the inspiration behind the CD was born. In the months that followed, we began to consider which music to put alongside this masterwork. What emerged was a programme connected by the elements of bodies of water (Leighton, Psathas, Piazzolla), composers who had faced great challenges in their lives and been forced to emigrate (Kahn and Seiber), as well as a kaleidoscope of different styles and energies (Robert Delanoff). Each piece on the album is very important to us, and we believe they all deserve to be performed regularly in concerts around the world. We hope that this recording will inspire other trios to add these works to their repertoire!”
As an ensemble, one of your goals is to bring to life contemporary works. Tell us about your correspondence with John Psathas and Robert Delanoff, and how did these connections inspire your interpretation of the pieces?
“We have been so lucky to have regular email correspondence with Delanoff and Psathas throughout the preparation and recording process. This is something that, as musicians, we so often wish we could do… ask the composers about their music! We were able to ask them about certain puzzling corners, interpretative issues and musical intentions, and not least, to share our excitement of discovering their music. It is so wonderful to have these composers on board. They have both been incredibly encouraging to us.”
On the programme, you arranged Astor Piazzolla’s ‘Oblivion” yourselves. Could you share some insights on your creative process?
“Our wonderful cellist Jobine has played a lot of Piazzolla’s music before and so was instrumental (pun intended…) in influencing our musical interpretation of this beautiful and haunting piece. It was important to us to strike the balance between shaping ‘Oblivion’ in a way that feels faithful to Piazzolla’s own performance style, whilst making it our own and playing it on completely different instruments! We did a lot of exploring different colours to create a whole new soundworld, and experimented with rhythm and ornamentation to make it feel free and timeless.”
Lastly, could you share a memorable experience or highlight from your journey with Adrift so far?
“One very special highlight has been the journey of discovering the original Seiber Introduction and Allegro manuscript in the RCM library. We knew straight away what a fun party piece it would be and decided to perform it at the Royal Albert Hall. We managed to track down Seiber’s daughter and invite her to the concert. She was so inspired by our performance that she went straight to Schott Publishers to set the ball rolling to publish the piece properly! We’re so thrilled that it’s now available for anyone to order their very own score.
Another special moment involves the Leighton… One of our very first performances of it gave us chills down our spines as audience members joined in to sing the tune of the hymn during the performance. After the concert, when we spoke to members of the audience, it turned out that one of them had known the composer personally when he was still alive, and we were lucky to hear a little bit about what he had been like as a person. It made us feel even more connected to his beautiful music.”
An interview with Delphine Trio
What initially brought you together as an ensemble, and what inspired the choice of your name?
“The three of us met at the Royal College of Music, London (RCM) during our postgraduate studies. What brought us together was our shared passion for discovery of new repertoire and creating exciting musical experiences for our audiences. In our first year, for example, we performed together in concerts featuring the music of fantastic composers including Weinberg, Adés, Farrenc, and Lutyens. Since then we have been on a mission to bring to light as many hidden gems as possible!
Our name Delphine Trio was inspired by the Temple of Apollo at Delphi – Apollo was the Greek god of music, healing and light.”
Each of you comes from different backgrounds, with origins in Australia, the Netherlands, and South Africa. How does this diversity influence your musical approach and interpretation?
“It’s always a special thing to be able to work with people from different corners of the earth! Despite our different backgrounds, we instantly connected so well when we first met and played together and have loved working together ever since. We each bring different experiences and expertise to the trio that means we all learn from each and become stronger as a whole.”
Adrift shares an exploration of various composers and their works, intertwined with themes of migration, displacement, and cultural diversity. What is the vision behind your debut album and what process did you follow in creating this program?
“We started thinking of recording an album when we discovered Leighton’s Fantasy on an American Hymn Tune in the RCM library. As soon as we picked it up we knew this was a profound and moving work and found it utterly exhilarating to play. It was so important to us to share this incredible music with a wider audience.
Thus the inspiration behind the CD was born. In the months that followed, we began to consider which music to put alongside this masterwork. What emerged was a programme connected by the elements of bodies of water (Leighton, Psathas, Piazzolla), composers who had faced great challenges in their lives and been forced to emigrate (Kahn and Seiber), as well as a kaleidoscope of different styles and energies (Robert Delanoff). Each piece on the album is very important to us, and we believe they all deserve to be performed regularly in concerts around the world. We hope that this recording will inspire other trios to add these works to their repertoire!”
As an ensemble, one of your goals is to bring to life contemporary works. Tell us about your correspondence with John Psathas and Robert Delanoff, and how did these connections inspire your interpretation of the pieces?
“We have been so lucky to have regular email correspondence with Delanoff and Psathas throughout the preparation and recording process. This is something that, as musicians, we so often wish we could do… ask the composers about their music! We were able to ask them about certain puzzling corners, interpretative issues and musical intentions, and not least, to share our excitement of discovering their music. It is so wonderful to have these composers on board. They have both been incredibly encouraging to us.”
On the programme, you arranged Astor Piazzolla’s ‘Oblivion” yourselves. Could you share some insights on your creative process?
“Our wonderful cellist Jobine has played a lot of Piazzolla’s music before and so was instrumental (pun intended…) in influencing our musical interpretation of this beautiful and haunting piece. It was important to us to strike the balance between shaping ‘Oblivion’ in a way that feels faithful to Piazzolla’s own performance style, whilst making it our own and playing it on completely different instruments! We did a lot of exploring different colours to create a whole new soundworld, and experimented with rhythm and ornamentation to make it feel free and timeless.”
Lastly, could you share a memorable experience or highlight from your journey with Adrift so far?
“One very special highlight has been the journey of discovering the original Seiber Introduction and Allegro manuscript in the RCM library. We knew straight away what a fun party piece it would be and decided to perform it at the Royal Albert Hall. We managed to track down Seiber’s daughter and invite her to the concert. She was so inspired by our performance that she went straight to Schott Publishers to set the ball rolling to publish the piece properly! We’re so thrilled that it’s now available for anyone to order their very own score.
Another special moment involves the Leighton… One of our very first performances of it gave us chills down our spines as audience members joined in to sing the tune of the hymn during the performance. After the concert, when we spoke to members of the audience, it turned out that one of them had known the composer personally when he was still alive, and we were lucky to hear a little bit about what he had been like as a person. It made us feel even more connected to his beautiful music.”