Trio Gilu - Various Composers: Garland (2022)

Ah… Christmas preparations! One loves or hates them – and in either case, they require organization, time and creativity. Even if the only creativity needed is to find a solution for your Christmas tree falling to one side…
Since our tree was stubborn, we opted for another Christmas symbol, at least as old as the tradition to decorate a spruce. Garlands have been made in diverse cultures across the planet to decorate and celebrate different festivities or events, from midwinter to midsummer. Said to be a symbol for purity, beauty and love, they surely are an inspiration for peaceful diversity, combining different foliages, flowers and lights to form a richer whole, while keeping each individuality.

Maria Portela Larisch, Veronique De Raedemaeker and Mathilde Wauters found each other in a shared love for chamber music and fascination for poetry and started playing together, embracing their unusual instrumental setting. This has brought the trio to write their own arrangements of works close to their hearts and tailor them to a perfect fit for Gilu’s instrumentation. Gilu, a young ensemble founded in 2021, aims to stay connected to today’s society and its dilemmas. The sung poetry enables them to bring their message closer to the audience, and while having a special interest for 20th century and contemporary music, they also perform music of other eras. Inviting different art forms to their unique combination of sound colours, they like to stretch the boundaries of the classical concert format.
Each of the three young women received the highest distinctions in their field and have also won prizes in national and international competitions.
Originally based in Belgium, they have studied in Belgium, France and Germany. The soprano’s Portuguese origins makes Gilu a real European trio that enjoys being on the road working everywhere in between these places. With their first CD “Garland” Gilu brings 16 heartwarming songs, arranged for soprano, violin and harp, from Britten, Handel, Piazzolla, Rimsky-Korsakov and Strauss.

Maria Portela Larisch soprano
Veronique De Raedemaeker violin
Mathilde Wauters harp