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NEWS

July 2011

 
Folkcorn in France July 2011
Europe Days in Amilly focussed on The Netherlands
The seventh edition of the Europe Days of the city of Amilly in mid-France was focussed on The Netherlands. Folkcorn was invited to come over and play there in the weekend of July 1 through 3, 2011. On Friday we did a concert on stage.  On Saturday and Sunday we played at several locations wandering around as troubadours.
 
Folkcorn in Bulgaria June 2011
Fifth International Folkfestival organized by the Bisserov Sisters
On Friday June 10th 2011 Folkcorn played in the West-Bulgarian city of Sandanski and on June 11 and 12 in the villages of Gotse Delchev and Pirin. Here live the Bisserov Sisters, a famous group of folk-singers who have been acive for decades. Folkcorn played at their Fifth International Folkfestival.
 
Fourth CD of Folkcorn WIE SAL DAN released November 14th, 2010
On Sunday, November 14th, Folkcorn in Wageningen NL threw a releaseparty for our fourth CD Wie Sal Dan. The hall was packed with fans, colleague-musicians and other music lovers. In a short set we played some songs and dances of our new cd. In a ceremony we presented the first CD to mrs. Ineke Strouken, director of the Netherlands Centre for folkculture and intangible heritage (www.volkscultuur.nl). Then we all partied with drinks and traditional food from The Netherlands.  After that date we did a promotional tour with gigs in several places in The Netherlands. On May 31st and June 1st, 2010, Folkcorn has recorded this CD. In two days 24 songs were recorded. Final selection and mix followed in the beginning of July. The name of the CD is Wie Sal Dan, after one of the thousand  early Dutch and Flemish dancingtunes in a collection from 1712.  A summary in English and all original lyrics can be found in this website at DISCOGRAPHY.
 
Folkmetal and Folkcorn
Folkcorn at presentation of folkmetal-cd June 2010
On saturdaynight June 5 th. the Dutch folkmetal band Mondvolland presented its new cd. The event took place in a cafe in Arnhem. The Flemish folkmetal band Huldrefolk ( Medieval Trollish pestkült) was also invited. In between these "severe beatings and impolite torments", we played our early Dutch and Flemish folk music our way, as we've been doing since 1973. Take a look at their poster here. How did we get involved in this scene, filled with enthousiastic musicians twice as young as we are? For many years Folkcorn has been receiving young folkmetal musicians at our rehearsals. To our surprise, some of them are fans of our music. They found us in their search for West-European traditional themes as sources for their own songs. On some tracks of Mondvolland's cd Folkcorn-musician Laurens van der Zee can be heard on recorders. And believe it or not, at the wedding of somebody from Netherland's most famous folk metal group, we were The Band! Needless to say, the marriage was in a castle...
 
'Mexico Connection'
As of January 19th, 2010, a separate website on Folkcorn in Spanish is active. This site is an initiative of our contactperson and fan in Mexico City, Jesús Yoalan Carrizo Vera, a linguist. The URL is http://www.oniumweb.com/folkcorn. Folkcorn will probably play in Mexico in 2012. See (in Spanish) a message from the Flemish/Dutch cultural centre Klank in Mexico City. We are interested in new contacts in Mexico to discuss possible additional concerts.
 
Folkcorn opened European Farmers Fair in Germany
The 15th European Farmers Fair of Plauen (Germany) took place between March 6 and 13.The Netherlands being he special guest of this year, Folkcorn was invited to announce the Europäischer Bauernmarkt on Friday March 5th in the citycenter of Plauen and to open it officially on Saturday 6th. Pictures of our performance on the 5th, together with the Dutch cheesemakers Van Vliet, appeared in many newspapers.
 
Lyrics in English
English-language translations of the lyrics of Folkcorn's early Dutch and Flemish folksongs available now
The translator and folkmusician Michael Collins has finished the translations of the lyrics of Folkcorn's CD's Ghy Sotten, Jan de Mulder and Laet ons den Landtman loven. The translations are in prose and include translators notes. They can be found in the Discography of this website. At the moment he is working on the lyrics of Folkcorn's earlier LP's. For background information see Collin's text  Translating the Lyrics elsewhere on this site. >>
 
Folkcorn on MySpace and YouTube
As of October 2009 Folkcorn has a page on MySpace. Videoclips  of this page can be found on YouTube as well. We thank our fan Martijn Reinders, musician in the metal-folkband Mondvolland, for having created these pages. The MySpace-page contains audiotracks, videoclips of rehearsals and a home-concert, pictures and a text on Folkcorn in English.
 
New Flyers Folkcorn in Dutch and English
A treasure house of music from earlier times
In 2009 the designers of Voorheen De Toekomst have produced a beautiful new flyer on Folkcorn in Dutch and English version. The flyer underlines the availability of Folkcorn for concerts, banquets, historical processions, wine tasting and beer festivals, school concerts, backgroundmusic and other events, both in a mediaeval and in a "Dickens" atmosphere.
 
Folkcorn on CD Dutch Rare Folk
43 Lost Classics from the Golden Age of Nederfolk 1967-1987
By the end of 2007 the journalist Matthijs  Linnemann has produced a double-cd on the first decades of Dutch folkmusic, 1967-1987. The English-language booklet gives extensive information on the groups and the songs selected. On CD number 2, track 11, Folkcorn can be heard with their song "Jan als ruiter" (little John on horseback), an arrangement by gitarist Jitze Kopinga of a Dutch traditional children's song. The track figures on Folkcorn's second LP (1978) Goedenavond Speelman. Label: FFT (Food For Thought), number: FFT 7060157.
 
Retrospect on 2007:Turkmenistan
As the only West-European group Folkcorn played at the international folklore and theatre art festival in Ashgabat, capital of Turkmenistan, from 1 - 7 April.
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Photo: Marja with young fans
 
Retrospect on 2007: Germany
In the weekend of June 30 and July 1st Folkcorn played at the fourth Walldorfer Historienfest , a historical festivity. The cities of Moerfelden-Walldorf and our hometown Wageningen are twinned.
 
Retrospect on 2007: Switzerland

From 12-18 August Folkcorn played in three Dutch-run hotels in Graubünden, Switzerland, viz. in hotel Clarezia in Waltensburg, Val Sinestra (Sent) and Alpina (Tschiertschen). For the inhabitants of the village of Waltensburg we also played in their beautiful medieval church.
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Photo by Tim Zoetmulder

 
Retrospect on 2007: Indonesia

From 1-5 September 2007 Folkcorn played at the first Solo Ethnicmusic festival and Conference (SIEM) in Solo/Surakarta, Java, Indonesia. We also gave several workshops.
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Photo's by Klaas Stoppels and Hadi Pramono

 
New costumes

As an alternative to our Golden Age/ Medieval costumes, Folkcorn has commissioned costumes of the travelling Dutch and Flemish musicians from around 1900. With these costumes the musicians of Folkcorn fit perfectly into festivities in a Dickens or Christmas atmosphere and activities in a late 19th or early 20th century setting in general.

foto Franka Riesmeijer

 
German section expanded

Thanks to the enthousiastic work of our Germany-based fan  Mirjam Krapoth, who is a native speaker in both German an Dutch, the German section of our website was expanded largely and now equals the original section in Dutch. The following chapters were added: Kurze Geschichte (a short history of Folkcorn), Historische niederländische Volksmusik (our philosophy and repertoire), Ein unbezahlter Botschafter (an account of our goodwillconcerts abroad, both in Europe and in  the USA and Canada – so far), praktische Informationen (the many possibilities of employing Folkcorn for your activities and celebrations) and Wie wir arbeiten und wie wir nicht arbeiten (inside information on our research, sources, and how we meet a consensus both when arranging songs and when having to choose between beer and wine during our merry rehearsals…). Thank you Mirjam!

 
Retrospect on 2006/207: New programme on traditional baalads (only in Dutch)

In this restless culture of today with its oneliners, soundbits and superfast videoclips there is almost no time anymore for a quiet concert in which musicians sing those medieval ballads like their colleagues did some centuries ago, with a public that is not in a hurry and is ready to absorb every word of these longer narrative songs on  love-affairs, battles and sieges, famines and deeds of courage or neighbourly love. As in many cultures, the Dutch and Flemish have lots a them, some famous, some forgotten. Recently Folkcorn has from its own repertoire and from many other sources dug up and arranged  tens of traditional ballads, enough to fill programmes of between 60 and 240 minutes (!!). On October 15th 2006 we held an opening performance of three hours in a sold-out theatre-restaurant at the river Rhine in our hometown Wageningen. Drinks and very tasty “slow food” were included in the admission. A tremendous success! Worth learning Dutch for!
The siege of the city of Eindhoven, Photo Erick de Braal.
"The siege of the city of Eindhoven", Photo Erick de Braal

 
 
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