BJARKE FALGREN & SÖNKE MEINEN
violin & guitar duo | virtuosic, creative, poetic.
Virtuosic playfulness and seemingly infinite creativity – from the first note on, violinist Bjarke Falgren and guitarist Sönke Meinen leave all traditions behind and enthuse their audiences all over the world. In their concerts they break the stylistic boundaries between folk, jazz, world music and classical music. Their compositions are expressive and vibrant, and especially the quiet notes draw the listener into their musical world. Nevertheless, the two musicians never take themselves too seriously, leave room for spontaneous interaction and accompany their pieces with humorous and touching stories.
Denmark-based Bjarke Falgren is regularly touring all around the world. In addition to his duo with Sönke Meinen, he performs solo, with bandoneon player Paolo Russo or his band Hot N Spicy. He writes and produces music for film and theater productions and is a much requested studio musician. Legendary jazz violinist Svend Asmussen entitled Bjarke Falgren as his musical heir and said about him: “Bjarke Falgren is the hardest swingin’ fiddler I have seen since Stuff Smith”.
In addition to performing with Bjarke Falgren, Sönke Meinen also plays as a soloist and with guitarist Philipp Wiechert. He was a prize winner of various international competitions, in 2016 he won two of the most prestigious prizes worldwide: the “Guitar Masters” competition (first prize) and the “European Guitar Award“ (sponsoring prize). Guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel called him “one of the most creative guitarists of the current guitar scene”.
When the two musicians share the stage and coax an unusually wide range of timbres from their instruments, from warm and mellow to powerful and percussive, an extraordinary concert experience is guaranteed. For their highly acclaimed duo debut album "Postcard to Self", they were nominated for the Danish Music Awards in 2019: In the categories "Album of the Year (World)" and "Composer of the Year". Their almost exclusively original compositions are sometimes very delicate, sometimes highly energetic, but always captivating, full of childlike playfulness and emotion. High-class, entertaining, heart-warming!
