The series: Innerviews
Inwards – in the »Elbphilharmonie Innerviews«, artists explore the Elbphilharmonie in their own unique ways, letting their thoughts run free. The result: special insights into the spaces of the concert hall and a rare opportunity to get to know the artists personally beyond the stage.
»The sound I produce on my instrument has become my voice«, says Lucie Horsch. In the Elbphilharmonie Innerview, she talks about authenticity, her personal development and the versatility of her often-underappreciated instrument.
The Elbphilharmonie’s »Innerviews« series is supported by our Principal Sponsor Julius Bär.
Elbphilharmonie Innerview with Lucie Horsch
Ambassador of the recorder :Innerview with Lucie Horsch
»When I started, I never thought this instrument would take me to concert halls such as the Elbphilharmonie.«
Lucie Horsch
»I’ve always been interested in lots of different things, and I’d like to develop in various ways as a musician and as a person«, explains Lucie Horsch. Anyone who gets to know her will quickly see that she has long acquired that versatility. She has become the ambassador of her instrument, and is now a popstar in the recorder world and far beyond. In her direct and likeable way, she steps onto the world’s stages and promptly takes the audience’s breath away.
Her programmes include anything from the Renaissance to Charlie Parker. And that on a recorder? Not a recorder: two dozen of them. »My first years with the recorder were a journey of discovery. Initially, I didn’t even know that there are various sizes«, she says laughing. »By now I play on around 25 different instruments in all registers.« – a broad enough range to take her all the way to the Elbphilharmonie roof with a single scale.
The young Dutch musician isn’t just a virtuosic recorder player, she can also sing: her moving Beatles encores at the »Rising Stars« festival in the Elbphilharmonie in January 2022 were a very special moment in the Recital Hall.
In the Innerview, she plays Claude Debussy’s »Syrinx«, an important work in the French flute canon – and convincingly demonstrates that this music has at least as much mystical allure when performed on the recorder.
Poignant simplicity
Born into a musical family, Lucie Horsch began to play the recorder when she was five. Just four years later, she became a star overnight after her performance at the famous Prinsengracht Concert in Amsterdam. Although she doesn’t set great store by her social media presence, she has hundreds of thousands of fans on YouTube. »Lucie is the reason why I want to learn the recorder«, is one comment you’ll see there. The world seems to listen to the recorder with new ears since Lucie Horsch has been around.
The likeable musician also believes that part of what makes the music so moving is the special sound of her instrument. »The recorder is one of the most direct and pure instruments around«, she says. »Its apparent simplicity makes it vulnerable, and that’s precisely why it can sound so poignant.«
Unity and diversity
Her sophisticated programmes always have a central theme – she wants to tell a story. To do that, she combines atmospheric Renaissance music with Baroque virtuosity, deep Romanticism and engrossing Modernism.
She’s determined to build bridges between styles and epochs, and to establish connections and highlight commonalities. And that, she finds, is a little like the Elbphilharmonie: »It’s different to the buildings around it but refers to them nevertheless« – what a wonderful comparison by an amazingly creative thinker.
text: Julika von Werder; last updated: 16.2.2022
translation: Seiriol Dafydd
In January 2022, Lucie Horsch’s performance at the »Rising Stars« festival in the Elbphilharmonie Recital Hall was met with thunderous applause.
