Admired for her captivating sonority and creative programming, Laura van der Heijden has emerged as one of the leading cellists of her generation having won the BBC Young Musician Competition in 2012. Her first album with Chandos Records, ‘Pohádka’ was released in 2022 to critical acclaim. Laura is a graduate of St John’s College, Cambridge and currently studying for a Masters with Antje Weithaas at the Hans Eisler in Berlin. She plays a late 17th-century cello by Francesco Ruggieri of Cremona, on generous loan from a private collection.
From Anglesey, North Wales, Jâms Coleman is a pianist who enjoys performing as a soloist, chamber musician, and vocal accompanist. Jâms regularly performs at the major festivals and venues in the UK and in Europe and recent highlights include recitals at the BBC Proms, Champs Hill, Cheltenham Festival, King’s Place, Machynlleth Festival, North Norfolk Music Festival, Ortús Chamber Music Festival, Penarth Chamber Music Festival, Petworth Festival, Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music, and The Royal Concertgebouw (Amsterdam).
In 2024 Laura and Jâms released their new album ‘Path to the Moon’ on Chandos Records featuring an eclectic mix of lunar-related repertoire inspired by the 1898 expressionist drawing of the same name by American graphic artist William Thomas Horton.
To find out more about the artists see Laura van der Heijden & Jâms Coleman
Photo credit: Matthew Johnson
With kind support from 8Woodview Design
Skipton Music Journeys to the Moon
Skipton audiences enjoyed another deeply satisfying evening, a musical ‘path to the moon’ in the company of the cellist Laura van der Heijden and pianist Jâms Coleman.
The unusual programme was inspired by a drawing by the American artist William Thomas Horton and brought together a number of pieces related to the theme of moonlight or night. It was built round three towering masterpieces of the cello and piano repertoire: the sonatas by Debussy (originally subtitled ‘Pierrot enraged with the moon’) and Benjamin Britten, and the transcription for cello of César Franck’s violin sonata. It was hard to decide whether to admire most the effortless virtuosity of the two players, the wonderful musicality with which they approached these three such different pieces, or the instinctive rapport between the two players. This was chamber music playing of the very highest quality and Skipton is lucky to have been able to enjoy it.
In between, the duo played a number of much shorter pieces, most of them transcriptions of songs, and of very varied character. As well as providing a welcome relaxation from the intensity of the major works, these pieces gave us the opportunity to savour the beauty of tone which Laura brought out of her Ruggieri cello and the delicacy of Jâms’ filigree accompaniments. And typically and appropriately, the duo ended their concert not with some final virtuoso flourish but with the gentle sounds of Debussy’s ‘Beau soir’. A concert which will long stay in the memory of those who heard it.
Charles Dobson