There are two ways to approach this cd: you can either sit down and be taken by the wonderfully surprising renderings of christmas-classics, an unexpected medley of carols, an old Polish lady and a shining soprano, a children´s choir and by a lot of fine viola-playing and detailed electronic soundscapes built with acoustic elements. You can also just enjoy the christmas atmosphere that radiates through every piece. When put together the arrangements and compositions form a varied christmas-story, but each one is attractive in its own right. Violaplayer Susanne van Els started playing the violin at nine. She studied violin, music education and eventually graduated cum laude in viola at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. After graduation she quickly joined the Schönberg Ensemble and immersed herself in working with contemporary composers, initiating projects and enjoying the honour of many works written for her and her viola. She recently released a cd+dvd on the label NM Extra with works by Louis Andriessen, Benjamin Britten, Klaas de Vries, Johann Sebastian Bach and others (NM 98030). Susanne van Els plays a Testore (Milan, 1745), an impressive instrument in shape, size and colour.
