Large church hall
Zusterplein 12, 3703 CB Zeist
Katharina Ruckgaber, soprano
Henk Neven, bass-baritone
Hans Eijsackers, piano
Hugo Wolf wrote more humorous liederen than any other leading composer of the 19e and 20e century. At a time when interest in ‘the psychology of men and women’ was on the rise, he understood that humour was the way to channel emotions. His Italienisches Liederbuch is a perfect portrait of human nature and a confrontational reflection of our shortcomings. With a wink, we see ourselves reflected in the colourful backdrop of Italian cities and regions.
Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)
Italienisches Liederbuch (Heyse)
Katharina Ruckgaber / soprano
Katharina Ruckgaber is a passionate interpreter of the lied repertoire in its broadest sense. The CD Love and let die, which she recorded with pianist Jan Philip Schulze, on which she shows she has mastered the whole genre: from Viennese classics and romantic liederen to avant-garde and contemporary works. With Schulze, as well as pianists such as Helmut German, Sholto Kynoch and Daniel Heide, she gave recitals in major concert halls and at various festivals including Oxford International Song Festival.
Ruckgaber is also a celebrated opera singer. Immediately after graduating, she was hired by the Frankfurt Opera and performed several leading roles with great success.
Henk Neven / bass-baritone
Henk Neven is one of the most inspired song interpreters of his generation. He received the Borletti-Buitoni Fellowship, participated in the prestigious BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists Scheme and was awarded the Dutch Music Prize, the highest award given to a musician working in classical music by the Ministry of OCW.
Neven works with renowned orchestras and ensembles, has performed several major opera roles and performs song recitals with leading pianists such as James Baillieu, Malcolm Martineau and his regular pianist Hans Eijsackers. Neven and Eijsackers have since released four CDs that received rave reviews. Besides his busy schedule of performances and master classes at home and abroad, Neven also regularly sits on the jury of international vocal competitions and is principal study teacher at Codarts Conservatoire Rotterdam. Since 2022, he and pianist Hans Eijsackers have formed the artistic director of the festival.
Hans Eijsackers / piano
Hans Eijsackers studied at the conservatories of Amsterdam and The Hague, and at the European Mozart Academy in Kraków. His teachers were Gérard van Blerk, Jan Wijn and György Sebök. He won prizes at the European Piano Competition and received the Silver Vriendenkrans of the Concertgebouw. He is currently a professor at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf, where in recent years he developed the curriculum for the new master's specialisation Lied.
Eijsackers performs frequently as a soloist, chamber musician and song pianist, and forms an inspired song duo with Henk Neven. In addition, he is a regular guest at home and abroad as a jury member and master class teacher and regularly visits Lithuania as ‘ambassador for the art song’. In addition, Eijsackers is artistic director of the International Student Song Duo Competition in Groningen, which took place for the seventh time in November 2024. Since 2022, he has been the artistic director of the festival together with Henk Neven.