CONFLUENCE
Music as a space of encounter.
© Jaap van den Beukel
Music as a space of encounter.
© Jaap van den Beukel
Confluence literally means convergence: the point where different currents meet and something new emerges. This idea lies at the heart of Confluence, the first production of A Brilliant Noise.
Confluence does not offer a statement, but an encounter. Not an illustration of diversity, but an audible dialogue. A shared space in which traditions, sounds and stories transform one another.
Like composers such as Heitor Villa-Lobos, who connected Brazilian traditions with the European canon, Béla Bartók, who brought together folk music and the avant-garde, and George Gershwin, who merged jazz with symphonic forms, Confluence explores how musical traditions can meet without losing their individuality.
The programme is rooted in the compositions of Hamid Reza Behzadian and evolves through new musical structures, arrangements and contexts into a contemporary sonic landscape.
“In his country of birth, Hamid could not let this music be heard freely. Now he plays what longs to be heard.”
Hamid Reza Behzadian connects Persian and Middle Eastern melodic traditions with the expressiveness of the American blues. Through the Indian slide guitar, he immersed himself deeply in North Indian classical music, where improvisation and microtonal refinement play a central role.
In Confluence, his sonic world meets Alma Quartet.
Starting from these compositions and melodic themes, artistic director Kay Sleking develops new musical structures, arrangements and contexts. Within this creative process, improvisation, composition and dramaturgy come together to form a new repertoire in which Eastern and Western sonic worlds merge into a contemporary musical landscape.
Alma Quartet moves with ease within the classical string quartet repertoire, while actively seeking encounters with contemporary and interdisciplinary forms.
Their interest in new musical languages and collaborations beyond the traditional canon makes them a natural partner in Confluence. Here, they meet the sonic world of Hamid Reza Behzadian as equal musical counterparts, in a dialogue between the European string quartet tradition and microtonal, improvisational structures.
Spoken word artist and poet Asmae Amaddaou adds a new layer to Confluence through her words. Her writing moves between personal history and universal themes such as identity, loss, memory and the search for connection.
Her poetry collection Brand lieverd brand is a source of inspiration for this encounter. Her poetic voice deepens the music and creates space for stories that emerge between cultures, memories and sounds.
Confluence is not merely a musical programme, but an experience that invites you to listen, reflect and be moved.
The personal histories behind this music, often rooted in diaspora, resonate deeply in a time when cultural identity and artistic representation are central to public discourse.
Confluence does not offer a statement, but an encounter. Not an illustration of diversity, but an audible dialogue.
Artistic Director & Musical Development
Kay Sleking
Direction & Dramaturgy
Sieta Keizer
Soloist
Hamid Reza Behzadian — Indian slide guitar
Alma Quartet
(musicians from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)
Marc Daniel van Biemen — violin
Benjamin Peled — violin
Jeroen Woudstra — viola
Joris van den Berg — cello
Spoken word & text
Asmae Amaddaou
Confluence is made possible with the support of the AFK (Amsterdam Fund for the Arts) and Stichting van Well van der Snoek.
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