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De Keuken and Pletterij present:FOLK is a special evening exploring the exciting intersection of tradition and innovation. The focus is on the rich Northern European folk music traditions, where age-old sounds and stories resonate with contemporary interpretations. During FOLK, authentic musical roots merge with fresh perspectives, creating a dynamic and stimulating program that appeals to both traditional folk enthusiasts and curious explorers.
The evening will be introduced by a short interview with the artists.
The Gentle Good is the moniker of Cardiff-based musician and songwriter Gareth Bonello. Gareth is known for his enchanting melodies, intricate guitar playing and beautiful arrangements. A former winner of both Welsh Language Album of the Year
and the Welsh Music Prize, Gareth has long been a prominent musician in the Welsh music scene. The Gentle Good's new album, "Elan," is a psychedelic portrait of the Elan Valley in Powys, Wales. The album, nominated for this year's Welsh Music Prize, was written during a year-long residency in the Cambrian Mountains. Elan draws on folk-rock, psychedelic
and pop influences to evoke the dramatic landscapes of the region, which were flooded during the violent era to create fragrant drinking water reservoirs. Gareth is a captivating artist and has toured the world, from the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC, to the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. He has
toured extensively in the UK and recorded at prominent festivals such as Glastonbury,
The Green Man, Latitude, and Cambridge Folk. His recent work includes the solo guitar and vocal album Galargan, a minimalist exploration of Welsh folk song that earned a rare 5* review in The Guardian. In recent years, Gareth has developed into a highly regarded collaborator, having worked extensively with artists from China and India. His award-winning album Y Bardd Anfarwol (2013) was groundbreaking with its unique combination of Welsh storytelling and Chinese traditional music. He is a co-founder of the acclaimed Khasi-Cymru Collective, featuring artists from the indigenous Khasi communities of
Northeast India. Closer to home, in 2025 Gareth collaborated with the Welsh National Opera and the British fishing community to compose new classical pieces for the Sea Interludes.
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Seamus Cater and Fredrik Rasten share a love of English and Scottish traditional songs and explore a sound with earthy resonance. Their repertoire draws from the traditional world of ballads, offering ballads that may never have been written down in song form; stories that ponder the myth of Pythagoras, Scandinavian folklore, and the early Enlightenment of Eastern Europe. Old songs with even older moods, inspired by a contemporary approach to composition, Rasten and Cater tread a path between two schools of revivalism, each redefining art from the distant past: the collectors who anthologized folk songs, while Helmholtz and Partch revived ancient Greek moods. In this meeting of the ages, the duo creates and recreates stories in sound and word.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Pletterij Debat en Cultuur, Lange Herenvest 122, 2011 BX Haarlem, Nederland, Haarlem, Netherlands
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
