Duo Holmander & Huang
clarinet and piano
Described as “a world class duo with a clear and approachable concept presenting the music with a sense of humor and the unexpected”, Magnus Holmander and David Huang, who individually enjoys performing as acclaimed soloists, come together in this unique duo to create true magic on stage.
Since they met at Gotland Chamber Music Festival in Sweden a few years ago, they have now performed together in several concert halls all over Europe including venues such as Het Concertgebouw, Musikverein and Elbphilharmonie. Their style can be seen as performing classical music in a relaxed and approachable manner, experimenting, improvising and often working in close collaborations with composers of today.
“What an interplay! Magnus Holmander and David Huang both played and acted as if the future of the globe was at stake!”
For season 2019-2020 Holmander & Huang where chosen by the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) for the prestigious Rising Star tour. For this tour, that took them all over Europe, Holmander & Huang brought two commissioned pieces by Swedish composers Molly Kien and Benjamin Staern. Molly Kien’s Hydrozoa was commissioned by ECHO while Benjamin Staern’s Scherzo Assurdo was commissioned by the Swedish Art Council and thanks to Benjamin’s untamed imagination it is one of the craziest encores Holmander and Huang have ever performed. The clarinet and piano duo was also bringing another Swedish piece on the European tour - Suite Fantastique by Rolf Martinsson which was also recorded at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.
After Holmander & Huang’s European Rising Star tour the duo wanted to create a concept challenging the traditional ways of doing a chamber music concert which resulted in their collaboration with Swedish light designer Lovisa Ivenholt in the performance The Extended Clarinet. While performing enthralling music for clarinet and piano Lovisa’s visual work gave the music a whole new dimension. Central in The Extended Clarinet was also the brand new technology Music in Motion, invented by Robert Ek. The technology allows the clarinet player to control the music not only by playing but also by moving which was demonstrated in Magnus Holmander’s own composition Black Swan. Combining music of today, new innovative technology and light design The Extended Clarinet became an astounding experience to the audience – for the ears as well as the eyes. The Extended Clarinet had its premiere at the concert hall of Vara in the spring of 2020.