Intermezzo

Intermezzo’s career began in 1984 when five students at the Utrecht Conservatory decide to fill their free time with harmony and sound. After finishing their studies they continued to meet and sing together.

What started as an innocent past time began to take on a serious note in 1990 when Intermezzo was asked by director Shireen Strooker to take part in the theater show 'Bouvard en Pécuchet', from the book by Gustave Flaubert. At the same time the group was working on its own theater show titled ‘An evening with Intermezzo’, with their official theater debut in 1991. That same year Intermezzo released its first ‘In Fool Color’, fulfilling yet another dream. With the help of others including Jeremy Jackman - known from the ‘King's Singers’ - Intermezzo worked on a new theater show they called ‘Tribunal’, that went into première in 1993. Almost simultaneously they released their second album ‘Still Crazy’, when Intermezzo brings their own repertoire of a cappella vocal virtuosity to perfection. During the theater season of 1995 and 1996 they bring their newest release to the stage with a show of the same name. In the mean time, Intermezzo receives the Silver Harp award from the Conamus Music Foundation for its unique contribution to Dutch popular music.

In Germany where Intermezzo regularly performs, the group received the cabaret prize from the city of Wilhelmshaven: the ‘Knurrhahn’. In addition to Germany, the group also toured throughout Indonesia and the Middle East. In January of 1996 their third album is released titled ‘The Orchestra’, and this time the group works with the artistic jack-of-all-trades Bram Vermeulen to direct their newest theater show 'Tour 97'. The vocal refinement that trademarks Intermezzo is heard more and more in their own compositions, arrangements and Dutch language lyrics. In 1998 they again collaborated with director Bram Vermeulen when their fifth theater show ‘Aap Noot Mies’ went into première. Named after the traditional Dutch ABC primer, Intermezzo received outstanding reviews from the critics “Dutch glory at its finest!” (De Telegraaf), “Intermezzo is beauty in her purest form” (Noordhollands Dagblad) en “Three times around with an uninterrupted Intermezzo” (De Volkskrant). A number of songs from ‘Aap Noot Mies’ find their way on the fourth album with the same name. At the end of the 1998 the group again leaves for Germany, where they perform to sold out venues with the international theater show 'Under The Rainbow'.

"We make use of the a cappella style , but we don’t always conform to the standard of the a cappella world. Whether Intermezzo is pop, classic, total theater performance or singing alone can be best described by the definition of ‘intermezzo’: “something said or done that functions as an intermission, deviating from the actual subject at hand”.

The album ‘Inside’ is described by the group as being contemplative: “With ‘Inside’ we’ve seen a dream come true in being able to make a record with music that we personally find interesting”. ‘Inside’ contains a number of elements from Intermezzo’s current international theater show, displaying their interest for diverse cultures and languages. ‘Inside’ includes their interpretation of the religious Jewish traditional ‘Avinu Malkeinu’, also recorded by Barbara Streisand. On a song with guest singer Lori Spee Intermezzo accompanies her as choir and vocal orchestra. The work of Benjamin Britten can also be found on ‘Inside’. The British classical composer has composed many works for choir. The addition of five saxophones adds an entirely new dimension to the double choir arrangement of ‘A Hymn to the Virgin’. The same applies to the theme of ‘Schindler's List’ or the well-known classic ‘Riu Riu’ from ‘Chorale’. The leitmotiv of the album is without a question the unique eccentric approach that trademarks the music of Intermezzo, manifesting itself in innumerable ways and producing countless unexpected discoveries. These eccentricities were obviously present in the theater show ‘Dream Aloud ( Hardop Dromen)’, a wonderful performance that revolves around a dancer, a sculptor, a body builder, a writer, a singer, a narrator and a conductor. Each singer reveals his own part of the dream through music, monologue or performance. In Germany they are giving try-out performances of ‘Dream out Loud’ and ‘Under the Rainbow’ during the same tour.

Then comes the time when Matthijs Overmars decides to leave the group for personal reasons. The group decides to carry on as a four-man formation after giving it a go for six months in Germany. In February 2001 the theater show "Dream out Loud" premiers in Germany. It is a new show based on the Dutch language show ‘Hardop Dromen’, this time with new material due to the change from a five to a four-man vocal group.

From September 2001 Intermezzo will be bringing their new theater show ‘De Fantasten’ (The Dreamers).