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When BERDIEN STENBERG first rocketed into the charts with ‘RONDO RUSSO’ in the mid eighties, few could have foreseen that the surprise hit would mark her first step on the road to enduring stardom. This classically trained flautist is still wowing audiences the world over with her refreshing and highly individual renditions of both much loved and less well-known classical pieces.
Born Steunenberg in Almelo, The Netherlands, Berdien Stenberg attended music school from the age of eight. She subsequently went on to gain a thorough classical training at the prestigious ROYAL CONSERVATORY in The Hague. Whilst still a student she already gave numerous school and charity concerts and was invited to play with the 'Twente Orchestra' under the baton of LOUIS STOTIJN. In The Hague she won a scholarship to attend the Ann Arbor University in Michigan, where she continued her musical studies under the tutelage of ALEXANDER MURRAY. A hitchhiking tour of Europe with a violin-playing girl friend showed her the other side of public performance. The two often gave open-air duets in the streets of Paris and London. After receiving her diploma, for which she passed with flying colors and excellent grades, she was helped to further develop her technical skills by the renowned flautist, RAYMOND DELNOYE.
She gradually evolved a personal style and an unmistakably individual choice of repertoire. Berdien strongly favors music from the Romantic era, but unfortunately few flute pieces were composed during this period as the instrument, at that time, was insufficiently developed. The only exceptions are the two pieces by Reinecke and one by Schubert. Undeterred, Berdien set to work selecting classical compositions which could be arranged for the flute and so create her own romantic flute pieces. “Then I wrote to six recording studios about my idea to make romantic flute pieces, and all of them responded positively!”
Her interpretation of ‘RONDO RUSSO’, a relatively unknown piece by the obscure 19th century Italian composer SAVERIO MERCADANTE, was the basis for her first hugely successful LP. It also became a hit single, climbing to number one in the charts and surpassing established stars like Stevie Wonder. When ‘Rondo Russo’ went platinum, it confirmed Berdien’s status as a multi-faceted flautist with a distinctive personal style.
‘Rondo Russo’ was followed by ‘BERDINERIE’, ‘ODE TO AMADEUS’, and ‘ALL SEASONS’, all of which went platinum. ‘Ode to Amadeus’ also marked the start of a long and fruitful collaboration with the now top-violinist JAAP VAN ZWEDEN, which continues today. The recording of ‘Ode to Amadeus’ shattered all previous sales records when it was released, wining no less than four platinum awards.
Berdien next teamed up with TOM PARKER, who gained international renown with ‘Joy’ and as the arranger responsible for million-seller albums. The resulting CD ‘CHRISTMAS’ went gold in Holland within three weeks.
A collection of romantic 19th century dance music formed the inspiration for Berdien’s next CD entitled ‘PIROUETTE’. “I had the idea of recording a collection of romantic dance music from the previous century and Tom Parker helped me with the time-consuming task of making a selection.” The outcome was a wide range of well-known pieces, from the ‘Swan Lake’ theme to the Strauss classic ‘Roses from the South’, all of which Berdien imbues with fresh appeal. Comments Berdien: “I want to create an agreeable atmosphere with my music. People should be able to relax while listening.”
Berdien confirmed her European star status in 1988 and 1989, when she was invited to join forces with both JAMES LAST and piano virtuoso RICHARD CLAYDERMAN. Last’s arrangements for flute, alto flute and piccolo on ‘FLUTE FIESTA’, bear witness to the high technical skill of Berdien Stenberg’s playing. The success of this album led to an extensive tour of the major cities of England, Germany, France, Holland, Belgium and Scandinavia. One of the highlights of this tour was a series of concerts in a jam-packed ROYAL ALBERT HALL. AMOUR POUR AMOUR’ with Richard Clayderman led her again to France. Her TV appearances with both Clayderman and Last added to her popularity and the sale of her CDs soared with both “Flute Fiesta” and “Amour pour Amour” receiving platinum CD awards.
During her first tour in Japan in 1984, Berdien was struck by the adaptability and rich melodic quality of traditional Japanese folk music. Subsequent tours in Japan led to the inclusion of several of these folk tunes in her repertoire. Berdien went on to record an album in Tokyo, in one of the city's most advanced studios, under the inspired direction of arranger KEIICHI OKU. These instrumental compositions exude a subtle, poetic mood that is reflected in titles such as ‘Moonlight above the Old Castle’ and ‘Song of the Sea’, which form a surprising departure in Berdien’s oeuvre. Nonetheless ‘MADE IN JAPAN’ went gold within three months and platinum within a year.
'THE MAGIC FLUTE OF MOZART’ was recorded in the ‘Mozart-year’ to commemorate the famous composer’s bi-centenary. Nine compositions – among them ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’, ‘Die Zauberflote’ and ‘Rondo alla Turca’ pay tribute to Mozart’s genius. While ANDREW POWELL arranged this album, the famous ALAN PARSONS of the Alan Parson's Project signed for the mixing.
The French chanson occupies center-stage on ‘MELODIES D’AMOUR’, a collection of catchy, romantic tunes. On this album, Berdien plays songs by a host of famous ‘chansonniers’ including Brel’s ‘Ne me quitte pas’, Aznavour’s nostalgic ‘Old Fashioned Way’ and Becaud’s international hit ‘Et Maintenant’.
After having celebrated her 12½ year anniversary as a recording artist with an impressive selection of her most famous interpretations, compiled in ‘12½ YEARS BERDIEN STENBERG’, she was invited once again to record an album with Jaap van Zweden, who is now the concertmaster of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra. They chose a modern version of ‘THE BRANDENBURG CONCERTOS’ by Bach and the result was an extraordinary album, displaying the enormous versatility of both soloists.
Berdien Stenberg’s album ‘IT'S A SMALL WORLD’ marks her first encounter with the popular music of the Walt Disney films. Her versatility shows once again that she can be ranked among the world's leading musicians.
In 1997 ‘Pirouette’ and ‘The Magic Flute’, in combination with a 1-hour TV special filmed in Salzburg and Vienna, formed the basis for her entree in the United States. ‘AMADEUS AND FRIENDS’ as the project is called in collaboration with PBS will give her the opportunity to let American audiences enjoy the versatility and sound of Berdien Stenberg.
Berdien Stenberg – being a mother of three talented children herself – is giving workshops for children aged 5 to 18 years, including ‘summer schools’. From 1995 until 1998, Berdien was the ‘Special Representative’ for UNICEF. Since 1998 she has been a member of the city council. She is also a fellow founder of VIE (Association of Intellectual Property – Performing Artists) and managing director of IRDA (International Rights Distribution and collecting Association for musicians and actors).
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