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Adriana Breukink – dream flutes, Big Babes and Eagles

mon 31 oct 2022
Theme: Early Music

Documento on Thursday 3rd November will be a tribute to the Dutch and Internationally acclaimed recorder builder Adriana Breukink, who passed away suddenly on 6th Octoberr 2022.

It was an enormous shock for the recorder world as Adriana Breukink was world famous, successful and much beloved. Her instruments were played by soloists and ensembles all over the world and her innovations – Dreamflutes and Eagle-recorders – were taken up by both innumerable amateur recorder players as well as top players and professionals.

She dreamed of becoming a recorder builder as a girl. She tried improving her very first recorders by adapting them to her vision of sound and breath.
The drive to keep searching for the optimal sound, the determination to realise her dreams and her ultimate craftsmanship made her the unique person she was. She shall be missed by so many.

Adriana Breukink and her haar ‘Big Babe’

 

Adriana was initially renowned for her wonderful consort flutes, these are renaissance flutes built in sets in perfect harmony. The most famous is the 3 metres long subcontrabas also known as the ‘Big Babe’ .

Adriana Breukink en haar Eagle(s)

She also developed colourful Dream flutes specially for children which were sold worldwide, and finally her life’s work: the Eagle-recorder. This is a robust flute of black grenadil wood, with keys for a very strong low register and a metal labium. This produced a very strong and stable sound which made it possible to play together with modern instruments .

In this programme you can hear her instruments, played by the Bassano Quartet she founded. We’re also playing The Royal Wind Music for which Adriana made not only consort flutes but also one of the very few ‘Big Babes’ .

You can also hear Adriana herself playing.

 

Broadcasts:

 

With thanks to Saskia Teunisse.