As if the sight of eight cellists on stage isn’t spectacular enough, artist Rob van Broek adds a newly designed instrument that gives the ensemble the allure of a living sculpture. With Severade, composer Maxim Shalygin takes a sneak peek into the future. In addition to the classic cellos played by the members of Cello Octet Amsterdam, he wrote this piece for a next-generation robot cello. Designed by Rob van den Broek, this electrically powered instrument produces mysterious-sounding low notes that can be sustained over a very long time. Just what Shalygin needed for this ‘Serenade to the North Sea’.

Cello Octet Amsterdam
Sanne Bijker
Claire Bleumer
Esther Torrenga
Rares Mihailescu
Sanne van de Horst
René van Munster
Alistair Sung
Geneviève Verhage