Trio Van Hengel
Trio Van Hengel comprises Nicole van Bruggen (historical clarinet), Anneke Veenhoff (fortepiano) and Thomas Pitt (violoncello). All three musicians are specialists in the field of eighteenth century performance practice and interpretation. The trio has committed itself intensively to rediscovering and performing repertoire from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century for classical clarinet, cello and fortepiano. The research activities of the trio have brought many masterpieces to light including several works by Anton Eberl (1765-1807). Eberl was a predominant composer in his time and his works were considered equal to, or even better than, Beethoven. His works were apparently so well received that they could pass as being composed by Mozart and many of Eberl’s works were published under Mozart’s name. Enough reason for Trio Van Hengel to record it’s first CD in 2006 on the label Ramée entitled ‘Anton Eberl, Grande Sonate’. The recording received rave reviews from the international press and was awarded the highest accolade from the Dutch classical music magazine, Luister. The second CD with works by Mozart will be released in mid 2010 and the trio’s third CD, continuing the Eberl project will be released in March 2011.
Trio Van Hengel was founded in 2001 and was awarded three prizes in the International Van Wassenaer Competition in that same year. This flying start for the ensemble resulted in many concerts both in The Netherlands and abroad, including concerts at the prestigious Holland Early Music Festival in Utrecht, the Prinsengracht Festival in Amsterdam and as "Artists in Residence" in the Festival for Strings and Bows in Poland.
Alongside their performances as trio, all three musicians have their own solo careers and have performed solo concertos accompanied by orchestras such as the New Dutch Academy and Arte dei Suonatori in prestigious concert halls such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Vredenburg Utrecht and De Doelen in Rotterdam.