Introduction

Flairck, a brief history

The Netherlands has long experienced a variety of musical influences as befits a country of its cultural diversity.
Flairck, formed by Erik Visser and Peter Weekers in 1978, has tapped into this confluence of musical inspirations, bringing with it its own originality. Like its music the name of the band is an original composition, coming from the English work ‘flair’ and the Dutch ‘vlerk’ which means a nimble fingered hand or wing, reflecting the instrumental speed and clarity of the music.
Flairck is basically an instrumental group, playing acoustic instruments and composing the majority of its own material. In essence the music is a form of chamber music, classically influenced new ‘traditional’ music with touches of jazz.
However such a definition does little to convey the impact of Flairck’s performances, which draw on a variety of influences. The number of instruments the group has collected on its many tours has grown steadily over the years and quite a few of these instruments are used in Flairck’s theatrical stage settings.

After two years of preparation Flairck released its first album in 1978: “Variations on a Lady” went platinum in the Netherlands and received three major awards including an Edison, which is the Netherlands highest recording award.
At the end of 2006 Flairck released the oeuvre box “Twenty Two” containing all audio recordings so far: 22 CD’s.
The group worked with several well known artist and symphony orchestras, touring Europe and beyond, including Indonesia, Japan, Australia, and North and South America.
The group collaborated with Georges Moustaki, who called its music “Chamber music for the open air”.
In February 1989 Flairck received the Golden Harp, Holland’s highest music award.
Flairck performed over 2500 concerts since 1978 and sold almost 1 million albums.

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