Bachs Matthäus-Passion on nearly 100 flutes: that is like listening to stained glass

“We are planning to watch with Jesus, but we are already falling asleep,” jokes flutist Rogier de Pijper (42). For him there are 95 amateur flute players who played the first note of the tenor-Aria ‘Ich bei meiem jesu wachen’ from Bachs just before that Matthäus-Passion. A clear ‘whaam!’ Want to hear the piper, not a cautious “WWWAAHM.” Dozens of whistles, the melody, originally for oboe, let up circling, while others play the stringing pagot run. The sound of the flute orchestra looks a bit like a light, friendly organ register. Bach’s music gets a covering, fragile atmosphere, as if you are listening to stained glass. “Flute 4, can you make a little more space between you?” De Pijper calls a little later for a purer tone.

This weekend Ede is the epicenter of whistling the Netherlands. Amateur flute organization Flutopia, which celebrates its ten -year anniversary, is organizing its largest project so far: Bachs Matthäus-Passion For Flute Orchestra. Four times a year, Flutopia brings amateur flautists together with orchestra projects, but not before had there been so many participants – called Flutopians – as today. In recent weeks, people have already practiced together in the Northern, Central and Southern Netherlands. Today everything comes together in a large event hall of Hotel Reehorst: Orkest, Koor, four vocal soloists and a storyteller.

Rogier de Pijper and Mirna Ackers (29), the two flute players behind Flutopia, have the normally three hours Matthäus-Passion For the occasion shortened to an hour and a half to corals, arias and choir height points such as ‘Kommt, IHR Töchter’, ‘Sind Blitze, Sind Donner’ and ‘Wir Setzen Uns Mit Tränen Nieder’. The story of the suffering story is in the hands of none other than Berdien Stenberg (67), the flute player who became known worldwide in the 1980s with her number one hit ‘Rondo Russo’. At the time, her popularity raised a whole generation of amateur flute players, of whom a lot has come to Ede today. Organizer De Pijper is her former student.

Breathrest

During the orchestra rehearsal, the flutists try to find the right breath support. “Make the breathing deep while you form an ô with your mouth,” says De Pijper. “As if you mean it. Not a weak bite.” “O!” Sounds out of 95 throats. “Now you can tighten your abs more,” says De Pijper a little later. Also a challenge: playing soft enough with the five of the ninty -ninters so that you can hear the choir soon. “Keep the tension in it.” And there the molars are again: “A millimeter of space is happy to be there.” During the break, the Pijper explains what that instruction is for: “Sometimes a tone is just too high. Kooing something apart helps to reduce the tone a little lower. The balance between the air speed and the direction gets better and therefore the tone sounds better. Of course you make all kinds of tricks so that everyone immediately understands what you have to do wrong.

The chance that you can play as an amateur flautist in a Matthäus-Passion Is not that big. In his orchestra occupation, Bach asks for only four flutists. And although many amateur choirs the Matthäus Implementing, hire a professional guidance orchestra. For many participants today it is the first time they have the Matthäus to play. Also for Marco (67): “The shivers run over your back when that choir suddenly starts to sing. I get tears in my eyes.” He is one of the five double bass flute artists, whose whopping instruments are shining in the middle of the rear row. They have the shape of the number 4 and come above your head when you are playing them. The five of them sound a bit like a fanfare that comes to walk a few blocks away: friendly buzzing in the depth. They place a pleasant soil under the higher, lighter sound of the ‘normal’ flute and alto flute, which are played by the majority of the participants. “There is the lowest B, and I play it in one of the corals,” Contrabasfluitist Frank (55) shines after the general rehearsal. “Yes, that is wonderful,” bass fluteists and seasoned Flutopians Annelie (68) and Dini (66) are appealing to him.

Five technical levels

De Pijper and Ackers made the arrangement at five different technical levels. The differences are in the registers (high notes, among other things, is more difficult than low notes), rhythm (easier parties have more quarter notes) and moments of rest (participants with less experience have to continue playing in one breath). Taking this into account and at the same time staying close to Bach’s score turned out to be a complex exercise. De Pijper: “At a certain point I believe I believe 26 games and something of 58 different combinations. That we thought, what are we going to be?”

Frank is happy with the arrangement: “At one point the bass flutes play a fast run. We as double bass can play that, but then the same simply sounds an octave lower. It is just a little different written so that we give the support that the bass flutes can play the fast notes. That stratification is very pleasant.” Dini: “And them [De Pijper en Ackers, red.] Knowing exactly what every instrument can do, because they are a flutist themselves. If you play in an ordinary orchestra then the conductor can probably not play a flute. Here we also get flute -technical tips, which makes playing together so much fun. ”

On Sunday, more flautists, including young people, participate and the Matthäus sounds again with 140 whistles. Dini laughs: “Then we have to play even softer when singing.”

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