Helena Basilova: ‘I was almost in a trance when I first heard it—the sound envelops you—it’s absolutely amazing’

Pianist and composer Helena Basilova is the guest curator of the October edition of Festival Dag in de Branding. On Saturday evening, the premiere of her new project ARBOR, created together with Kenny Kneefel (Shoal) and Vincent Rang, will take place at the Nieuwe Kerk. 

Helena, how do you feel about being guest curator of Festival Dag in de Branding?  

“Really great! As a musician, you’re often quite focused on yourself, and it’s wonderful to be able to think more broadly about programming works and also about positioning new music. The approach of Dag in de Branding—focusing on new music with a Dutch perspective—is very important. I enjoyed it so much that I’m even considering starting my own festival someday.” 

This edition of the festival has the theme ‘wood’. How did you come up with that idea?  

“The program started with Timber by Michael Gordon. Florian, my partner [writer, voice actor, and composer Florian De Backere], once played the piece at home and I was immediately captivated. It’s truly become one of my favorite works and I listen to it often, though I’ve never heard it live. When I was asked to curate this edition of Dag in de Branding, I immediately thought: Timber!” 

What makes Timber so good?  

“It’s a very radical idea, very simple: striking wooden blocks. But the sound is incredible. I was almost in a trance when I first heard it—the sound envelops you—it’s absolutely amazing. That led me to think about material, because Timber is so clearly about that. All the objects we use daily have a materiality we’re usually not very aware of. Increasingly, that material is plastic. Wood sparks the imagination, and I found it an interesting idea to seek a deeper connection with the material. Wood forms the basis of many musical instruments. It grows and has ecological significance. So this program has also become an ode to the tree.” 

That ode to the tree is clearly present in the program Memories of Trees.  

“That’s right! Memories of Trees is the new performance by the Ragazze Quartet, with music by Kate Moore. It’s about the idea that trees are silent witnesses who observe a much longer timespan than humans. The theme fits perfectly with the festival concept, and I knew right away it belonged in our program. I’m very curious to see it.” 

With ARBOR, you’re also presenting new original work on the theme.  

“Yes, Vincent, Kenny, and I previously created Monolith, and that was a very rewarding collaboration we wanted to continue. Vincent developed software that generates stunning organic visuals inspired by the growth of plants and trees. I composed a series of musical ‘cells’ at the piano, and Kenny and I worked with them in the studio. We’re still in the middle of the process, and I think we’ll also make an album. Live, I’ll focus on the original musical cells at the piano, while Kenny adds various layers using synths and other electronic equipment. It’s becoming a kind of ambient piece—maybe I’ll even play a synth myself. And Vincent tailors his organic visuals to the live music.” 

Do you want to compose more in the future?  

“For the past few years, I’ve been creating my own work at the piano, but I don’t call it composing, because that term is so loaded. And that’s exactly what fascinates me. I notice that making music yourself comes with all kinds of fears—‘is it good enough, can I really do this?’ We’ve glorified the idea of ‘composition’ so much that it intimidates musicians. Composing also has no place in school music education. That’s why I started researching ways to introduce children to composing at an earlier stage. The goal is to create space and provide teachers with tools. Not everyone needs to become a brilliant composer, but composing can help you understand how music is made. Our Componist der Nederlanden, Anne-Maartje Lemereis, and her husband, Remy Alexander, have addressed this issue and have been a great help in my research. I’m also very happy that Remy is leading a workshop with children before Timber, it’s a beautiful introduction to the piece.”