DUO ARDEA – consisting of soprano Laure-Catherine Beyers and pianist Ana Ostojić – impresses with an approach that does not use innovation as mere effect, but rather as an expression of a deeply contemporary artistic identity. The duo assumes multiple roles: as musicians, performers, and catalysts for new works. With their aim to organically intertwine classical and contemporary song, they open up new narrative and sonic spaces.

Their project based on Rainer Maria Rilke’s DUNIO ELEGIES unfolds as a multilayered dramaturgical structure. In close collaboration with composers Sanziana Dobrovicescu and Mihai Codrea, new commissioned works are created in response to Rilke’s poetry. These are thoughtfully interwoven with existing repertoire – some of which dates back to the 17th century – and further enhanced by electronics and performative elements.

The interplay between acoustic instruments and electronic soundscapes is not an add-on, but an integral part of the project’s concept, deeply rooted in its themes. Love, death, religion, morality, and hope are explored as fundamental, unresolvable questions – always with the aim of sharpening our awareness of individual responsibility in a changing world.

The concept stands out for its strong artistic vision, particularly in how it reimagines the song form as something open, fluid, and rooted in the present. With vocal and pianistic excellence, experimental openness, and a keen sense for contemporary relevance, DUO ARDEA is forging a forward-looking path in the world of art song.