à Amsterdam

à Amsterdam features the ensemble named Postscript. The idea to dedicate an album to music from Amsterdam, where Postscript was formed, had been on our minds for some time, but it really came into focus with the beginning of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic.

We were isolating at our respective homes in Amsterdam; however, on the rare occasions that music- making was possible, we were able to do it together, since we formed a small enough group to gather safely. The hectic travel schedules that normally shaped our lives came to a halt, and we had the opportunity to spend more time in our home city, enjoying contemplative walks in the eerily now-quiet streets. It was, therefore, quite natural to keep the theme of local exploration and to base our next musical project around the city of Amsterdam, by rediscovering a part of its history that is underappreciated by both musicians and audiences today.

We selected a number of works published (and in most cases also composed) in Amsterdam, chose Amsterdam-built instruments or copies thereof for each of us to play, and settled on a historical venue with wonderful acoustics in the heart of the city: the Waalse Kerk. As with our first Album at NativeDSD, Introductio, we decided to record it live with an appreciative audience in attendance. Our hope with this recording is to take you back to 18th-century Amsterdam to get a glimpse of its diverse and lively musical life.

Postscript
Aysha Wills, Traverso
David Westcombe, Traverso
Octavie Dostaler-Lalonde, Cello
Artem Belogurov, Harpsichord