Chloë Abbott: “Trumpet and percussion are deeply connected.”
Trumpeter Chloë Abbott and percussionist Moritz Koch form the new SMASH.duo. On Saturday, March 16, at 5pm they will perform in Korzo. Joep Stapel spoke to Chloë about the origins of SMASH.duo, their name and how they keep their concerts accessible. Chloë: “We try to approach a performance more like a pop group, as one whole set.”
How did SMASH.duo come about?
“Moritz and I met at Frankfurt airport in June 2022, on our way to a concert in Tel Aviv. He filled in at the last minute for someone in the ensemble I was playing with. We soon discovered that we had the same teacher, Susan Williams. I studied baroque trumpet with her in The Hague, and Moritz was a timpanist in a baroque ensemble that Susan co-founded at the conservatory in Bremen. We started talking and discovered that we both have an affinity with new music and ideas about our concert practice. So we decided to form a duo.”
Trumpet and percussion, that is an unusual combination.
“At first glance, yes. But actually they are deeply connected. In baroque music, the trumpets and the timpani often do the same thing – I sometimes joke that the timpani are in fact the third trumpet. Just listen to Handel’s Messiah. Trumpets and timpani are good friends.”
What are your ideas about concert practice?
“We discovered that there is already a duo of trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger and percussionist Colin Currie – famous and great musicians. They also have a CD out, but it mainly contains very serious new music. Moritz and I want to make our performances more accessible, it should be fun and there should be room for laughter. Personally, I find it very annoying when there is a ten-minute changeover during a concert – I come to listen to music! We try to approach a performance more like a pop group, as one whole set. We also talk to the audience to explain the pieces. And we wear brightly colored outfits. The Club in Korzo therefore suits us very well, you have those comfortable green sofas there and the atmosphere is relaxed.”
SMASH.duo is a striking name.
“Well, choosing a name for an ensemble is always a problem. There are many stereotypes about brass and percussionists, the first being that they are very loud. And in orchestras there is often a rather masculine energy around those sections. We play with that. “Smash” is an description of our sound, and when someone writes all caps I always feel like they’re yelling at me. So the name is a bit ironic, but also a bit pop art-like.”
SMASH.duo will play in KORZO on March 16 at 5:00 PM. Buy tickets here.