Saraswati Collectief
Saraswati Collectief has one upcoming show in the Netherlands: on December 29, 2026 at TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht.
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About
Saraswati Collectief takes its name from the Hindu goddess of beauty, wisdom and creativity, seen as a female principle of creation. The ensemble uses that idea as a guide for its main aim: linking the musical traditions of Indonesia and Europe. It is led artistically by the Balinese Dutch brothers Jan and Kris van der Plas, who use Western instruments to build a bridge between the two cultures. One format they work in is a piano trio, with Kris van der Plas at the piano. The trio digs into the gamelan tradition and plays arrangements of Indonesian folk songs. That sound world is the same one that fascinated Debussy when he heard it at the 1889 World's Fair in Paris, and Ravel's fascination with it can be heard in his Piano Trio. So the group's music also doubles as a small lesson in how Indonesian sounds shaped European classical music.
