INTERVIEW
When and where was your first concert with the MCO?
January 2009 in Ludwigshafen, playing Stravinsky's Pulcinella suite with Tugan Sokhiev conducting.
What is your most memorable moment with the orchestra?
Playing Beethoven's Symphony No.5 in Ferrara together with my former teacher Božo Paradžik, best friend Burak Marlali and Claudio Abbado conducting. It was a unbelievable week, the best possible combination of friends challenging and inspiring each other when playing. And all that with the great Abbado conducting. The poster from the concert is still hanging in my room.
What is the most difficult aspect of your job?
All the planning: 14 students at the Hochschule in Düsseldorf, solo concerts, orchestra concerts, my band ORBI and maybe some practicing… but sometimes I have to say "no" to work, even though I love all aspects of my job, because the body needs rest, too.
If you could play another instrument what would it be?
Singer (Bass-baritone), Bassoon, Horn, Bass Trombone ... as you can see I kind of stick to the low (dark) side!
The first piece of music you fell in love with:
Rachmaninoff's Trio élégiaque No.1
Biography
Rick Stotijn is considered one of the most leading bass players in the world. He received his first lessons at the age of eight, studied at the Conservatory in Amsterdam with his father Peter Stotijn where he graduated with the highest distinction. Later on he studied with Bozo Paradzik at the Hochschule in Freiburg. Rick won several first prizes at competitions such as the Princess Christina Competition, the Young Musical Talent Foundation and in 2013 the highest accolade awarded to a musician in the Netherlands, the Dutch Music Prize. The Jury wrote: “Rick is a versatile musician with a moving musicality and overwhelming virtuosity.”
Many solo appearances at home and abroad were soon to follow including a Carte Blanche series of 4 concerts in the small hall of the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Rick Stotijn performs regularly as soloist with orchestras such as the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Rotterdam Chamber Orchestra, Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonie Zuid Nederland and the Residentie Orchestra The Hague. In the upcoming seasons Rick will expand his soloist activities and work with orchestras including Musica Vitae Sweden, Joensuu Symphony Orchestra and the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra which commissioned a new double bass concerto by Martijn Padding for the Saturday Matinee series in Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Rick is very much in demand in programming new music for his instrument which resulted in newly written pieces for him by Roel van Oosten, Kees Olthuis, Rene Samson, Michel van der Aa, Ned Rorem, Martijn Padding and Britta Byström. As a chamber musician he has worked with Janine Jansen, Christianne Stotijn, Liza Ferschtman, Robert Holl, Mischa Maisky, Lavinia Meijer, Bram van Sambeek, Julius Drake, Cecilia Bernardini, Vilde Frang, Amihai Grosz, Julian Rachlin, Candida Thompson, Lawrence Power, Simon Crawford Phillips Johannes Rostamo and many others.
Rick was, together with his sister Christianne, guest artist at the famous Dutch Prinsengracht Concert which was broadcasted live on Dutch television. A European trio tour with Christianne and pianist Joseph Breinl followed. Rick is also a regular guest at festivals such as the Lucerne Festival, Delft Chamber Music Festival and the International Chamber Music Festival in Utrecht.
His first Bottesini CD, which came out in 2012, received raving reviews. His second CD BASSO BAILANDO was released in spring 2014 and was received with highest appreciation in magazines such as The Strad and Gramophone.
Rick was principal double bass in the Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra, Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester Berlin, Amsterdam Sinfonietta and is currently principal in the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. As guest principal Rick plays regularly in the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Orchestra Mozart.
Rick teaches at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and became the new Professor Double Bass at the Robert Schumann Hochschule Dusseldorf in September 2015. He performs on a Raffaele & Antonio Gagliano double bass, generously loaned by the National Musical Instrument Foundation.