“Rick Stotijn’s prowess lies not only in his assured technical fluency but also in his interpretative imagination, tonal diversity and instinctive ability to communicate.”
THE STRAD
Double bass player Rick Stotijn is a tireless promoter of his instrument and its sheer endless possibilities. Composers such as Michel van de Aa, Ned Rorem, Martijn Padding and Jesper Nordin have risen to the occasion by writing new compositions for him, and a double concerto from Britta Byström will soon be complemented by a new one from Sally Beamish.
Turning a different corner, Rick made his instrument dance in works by Piazzolla, Rota and De Falla. Rick also championed the works of Giovanni Bottesini. About the album, the press wondered if this could be ‘the best Bottesini CD ever’.
Rick co-founded the Stockholm Syndrome Ensemble, which builds programmes around an event, idea, or concept. The ensemble presents music from all periods and styles, from Purcell to Dylan, from Messiaen to Radiohead. Together with Bram van Sambeek, Rick founded ORBI, a ‘chamber music rock group’ that combines the improvisatory forces of bassoon, double bass, Hammond organ and percussion.
Rick regularly performs as a soloist with major chamber and symphony orchestras in the Netherlands, Germany, and Scandinavia, such as the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. This season brings newly written concertos by Peter Eötvös (with Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Elim Chan) and Missy Mazzoli. He has collaborated with Camerata RCO for his latest recording, Doppio Espressivo. According to The Strad, ‘Rick Stotijn’s prowess lies not only in his assured technical fluency but also in his interpretative imagination, tonal diversity and instinctive ability to communicate.’
Rick is the principal double bass of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and Lucerne Festival Orchestra. As guest principal, Rick plays regularly in the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Orchestra Mozart, Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
In chamber music, he has worked with Janine Jansen, Christianne Stotijn, Liza Ferschtman, Julius Drake, Cecilia Bernardini, Vilde Frang, Julian Rachlin, Lawrence Power, Tabea Zimmermann, Malin Broman, Simon Crawford Philips, Johannes Rostamo, Lars Vogt, Christian Tetzlaff, Maximilian Hornung, Daniil Trifonov, Alexander Maloveef and many others. Rick is a regular guest at well-known international festivals. He was awarded the highest accolade to a musician in the Netherlands – the Dutch Music Prize – and is a Professor at the Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf.
