Line Up:
Tessel Hersbach (violin)
Yanna Pelser (viola)
Bence Huszar (cello)
Julian Schneemann (piano)
Camiel Jansen (bass/compositions)
Jeroen Batterink (drums)
A boxing ring is set on stage. Six musicians are set in the middle. Live audio samples are used. Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali takes you through his mind as I K A R A I sets his most legendary fight to music. Our new concert, MUHAMMAD, is a full-length musical telling of Ali’s movements and thoughts in the 1974 world heavyweight championship fight he ultimately won.
But Ali’s biggest fights were outside the ring. As a civil rights activist, a poet, storyteller and a devout Muslim, his social struggles became a part of his identity as a famous sportsman.
MUHAMMAD gives a sound to physical and social confrontations and is an ode to the greatest boxer of all time.
IKARAI, consisting of violin, viola, cello, bass, piano and drums, uniquely blends the worlds of classical composition and improvisation into the soundtrack of a wordless tale.
Performing only original material, IKARAI sounds like no other. Whilst referring to the European classical tradition, their compositions highlight improvisation, interplay and spontaneity. Finding an honest blend between these elements characterizes IKARAI’s vision of the future of modern music.