FLAIRCK

I still remember the huge excitement of our group, and in fact, the entire crowd, lots of cheers, 'wows', long handclapping and in the end a standing ovation! After their splendid second LP Gevecht Met De Engel (1980) Flairck went on an extensive international tour, resulting in the double live LP Live In Amsterdam.

Flairck delivers outstanding and very inspired versions of their two studio-albums tracks, featuring many improvisations and soli.

From warm 12-string guitars and soaring flute to propulsive acoustic rhythm guitar and powerful acoustic bass, blended with swirling panflute and violin.

From folk (often Celtic and Eastern Europe hints) and jazz to classical or a blend of several styles with flowing shifting moods and exciting soli on a wide range of instruments.

The band puts a lot of emotion and also humor into their music so it never sounds clinical, in contrary!

After this double live album Flairck released their third album Circus in 1981, also interesting but then the sound of the band shifted to more experimental and even avant-garde elements, not really my cup of tea.

Flairck - Live In Amsterdam : a true masterpiece of progressive folk, highly recommended!

Please, open your ears and welcome this excellent addition to any prog rock music collection.

Track list:

Inuit Game, Vocal Chords, Vocal Waltz (E. Visser) *****

Amazonians, Dance for Giants and Witches (J. Goossens) ****

Tracheus (J. Goossens) ***

The Woman and the Knife (J. Sijp) *****

Under Water Song, Bathing Pigmy Girls (B. v.d. Berg)

White Man Coming (B. v.d. Berg) ****

Song for One Voice and Two Mountains (B. v.d. Berg, E. Visser) ****

Piece for Six Bodies (E. Visser) ****

Whistlers Quartet (B. v.d. Berg) ***

Figures (J. Sijp) ****

Song for Two Voices and a Mountain (B. v.d. Berg, N. Rogalski) ****

Lament for Lola (E. Visser, N. Rogalski) ****

I came to Back Alive! after reviewing Cronofonía's eponymous debut. I found myself wondering what else Pablo Ortíz had been doing all these years (as Cronofonía had been in the making since at least 2013). It turns out that while Ortíz is Mexican, he has been living in Europe for many years, and since 2007 has been a member of Flairck, who I am surprised I have not come across before as they have been around since 1978 and play a type of music that is particularly appealing to me. Still, even if I'm slightly embarrassed not to have heard of them before now, I'm glad to have made their acquaintance.

So how to describe Flairck's music? That's quite a difficult question to answer, as while there are a number of bands I can draw comparisons to, none sound quite like Flairck. Essentially, to me, they play a sort of Canterbury-esque mix of prog folk and jazz fusion, but presented as a sort of chamber music that gives it a feel similar to some neo-classical and RIO bands, while never reaching either of those extremes. The music is acoustic, fresh and energetic. Despite being a band from Western Europe (based in Belgium), there are often passages that remind me more of Eastern European music or, even further afield, Asian music, so there is an element of "world" music to Flairck, too, I guess. In terms of bands that Flairck remind me of (even if they don't necessarily sound that similar), I'd go for Gong (for the Canterbury), Jethro Tull (for the folk), or Maneige (for the fusion - particularly the first two Maneige albums having a similar chamber feel).

The band was founded by Eric Visser and Peter Weekers, the former remaining for many years the nucleus of the group, through various line-ups. As I mentioned Gong, in a way Back Alive! is an album similar to that band's, Rejoice! I'm Dead, in being an all new band, with the blessing of the now absent founder. Ortíz has been leading the band, on Visser's commendation, since 2016, and with Back Alive! it seems to have been a wise appointment, assuring that the characteristic acoustic/chamber sound is kept whilst allowing new blood to take it in new directions. The title is apt, not just because it proudly proclaims the band is still in existence, but because Back Alive! is absolutely full or vitality, verve and vigour. I haven't (yet) listened to every Flairck release, but from what I have (and my apologies to Visser), this is my favourite. (Again, harking back to Gong, where my favourite release from that band - despite some absolute classics in their back catalogue - is The Universe Also Collapses.)

The album begins with one of three tracks titled Sick Muse, and the first notes are almost those from a horror soundtrack. There is an amazing degree of dramatic tension from quite sparse instrumentation, before it is broken and a quite beautiful tune ensues. The two sounds then tumble against and over each other, throughout, Beauty playing with the Beast, or perhaps, the Flower and the Fire (when the subtitles for the next two Sick Muse tracks are taken into account). The Sick Muse tracks comprise three of the numbers solely composed by Ortíz. The other principle composer in the new Flairck is Joris Vanvinckenroye, whose name some will recognise for being the main composer for fellow Belgian band Aranis. It is possibly his influence that brings the RIO approaching sound to this new chapter of Flairck, that I mentioned earlier (with Aranis clearly influenced by one of Belgium's most famous musical exports, Univers Zero).

Vanvinckenroye's first composition on the album, Nepeta Cataria, follows Sick Muse, and it's both irresistible and irrepressible. Ortiz's guitar on this track has a feel that surely has its origins in his native Mexico, but it's only one sound of many in a busy number that pulls in several directions. The dynamics provided by the strings of Vanvinckenroye, Anouk Sanczuk and Zhazira Ukeyeva is magical. The percussion is amazing, and all too soon this rousing number is over. But that's fine, as one of my favourite tracks is next, the beguiling Storm Waltz, which highlights Jeroen Goossens woodwind playing. While he has definitely already made an impact, I just love what he adds to Storm Waltz. As to where the storm is, well it is clearly on the way when the track begins, but there is no doubting when it hits as the music takes a dramatic turn. There is some respite as we enter the eye of the storm, but the ephemeral nature of this peace is overt. The track, for me, ends too soon - right as we're back in the full force of the storm.

After another menacing, yet compelling, Vanvinckenroye composition (presumably titled for his solo music released under the BASta! name), it's a relief to have the second Sick Muse piece, which begins delicately and beautifully, unfurling its layers slowly and gently like the flower for which it is named. It's a languid and melancholic introduction, but the tempo is soon raised, and the mood changes entirely. Well perhaps not entirely, for Sick Muse (The Flower), even while it becomes more energetic, remains subtle and discrete - almost restrained, but certainly never constrained. The final two minutes are a real delight, as the flower is in full bloom.

Sick Muse (The Flower) is followed by Back to Bass, which (given he is the bass player) you might expect to be a Vanvinckenroye composition, but it's actually another Ortíz, and you get the feeling that Vanvinckenroye and Ortíz are yin and yang ? each bringing something quite different to the table, and it's that swirling mix of styles that provides so much of the energy and edge to this new Flairck. As if to prove the point, we have The Stoned Wedding, composed by both. It is however based on a much older Flairck piece called The Wooden Wedding, composed by Erik Visser and Peter Weekers, so The Stoned Wedding and the following Peter's Weekend (composed by Peter Weekers) are a really nice touch in connecting this new chapter of Flairck to what came before.

The album finishes with another of my favourite tracks, Sick Muse (The Fire), which begins sounding as if it is more of the Ashes and Smoke of the opening number, before flickering into life. The fire of this piece is definitely warming and comforting, and clearly well under control. What this track really exemplifies, for me, is how this album as a whole is all about the composition, rather than the virtuosity of the musicians. Their ability is never in any doubt, but this new line-up clearly doesn't need to show off to show how good they are. From what little I've heard of Flairck so far, Back Alive! is the band's most adventurous album yet, and is a brand statement that the band is far from a done deal. Flairck is dead. Long live Flairck!

The lineup now is: Pablo Ortiz (guitars and composition) Joris Vanvinckenroye (double bass and composition) Jeroen Goossens (flutes and other woodwinds) Anouk Sanczuk (violin and viola) Zhazira Ukeyeva (violin)

The new material is fresh and energetic. The sound is still pretty familiar 'Flairck' but perhaps a bit more emphasis is on the compositions then on the virtuosity of the members. Highlights for me are "Nepata Cataria', with some superb bassoon (!) by Jeroen Goossens, and 'The stoned wedding'. Also the joyful tune 'Peters Weekend' composed by original member Peter Weekers should not remain unmentioned.

The result is a very enjoyable album that prog-folk fans should certainly give a try. 4 out of 5 stars easily!

"Battle With The Angel" is the second album by Dutch group Flairck. This is one of those records that you can find in EVERY recordshop in Holland for less than 3 euro. I bought this together with their first record after seeing its inclusion here on the Prog Archives.

Just like the award-winning first record, this album features great instrumental songs with a variety of acoustic instruments. The musicians are all professionals, the sound quality and dynamics are superb, the coverart is beautiful. So what's not to like? Well, that being the lack of interesting music. Especially after hearing the first album. While I LOVE the first record, this album seems kinda dull and pretty annoying to me.

The album starts with Oost-West Express. A really nice song with great flute melody. It reminds me a lot of Voorspel in Sofia (Foreplay In Sofia) from the first record. Next comes De Vlinder which is based on a Irish tune. Played really well and the sitar creates a peacefull atmosphere. After those two great songs you get a totally forgetable small piece followed by De Stoomwals. Stoomwals is not bad at all. It shows another ability of the musicians to spread a flute melody over an array of flutes. Unfortunately, this song is also quite forgetable and the ending makes it EXTREMELY annoying. De Stoomwals is one of those songs that draws you in and makes you at ease but then suddenly wakes you from your sleep just to show how pretentious the album is. I get it, it's called Stoomwals (so you hear STEAM)...

The other half of the record consist of the title track Battle with the Angel. For me this is really a song that doesn't go anywhere. Just bits of some good ideas intertwined with filler. I played this side 5 times over just because I really wanted to like it. But I don't.

Last: the logo really bothers me! The first record had a good logo that you could read: Flairk. On this album the logo looks forced symmetrical and it totally unreadable. Who writes a ''k'' like ''dz''... Also the ''F'' could be seen as an ''H'' os even ''Sh''. Actually for a really long time it thought this band was called Flairdz. I would see this album a LOT in Dutch recordstores and I always called them Flairdz.

Conclusion: The album starts with 2 great songs: Oost-West Express and De Vlinder. Next are just some forgettable or annoying songs. If you just got interested in this band you should start with their first album: "Variaties op een Dame" and I suggest to stay there! Their first album was something new and exciting and really well crafted. This album is just a continuing of that style but more watered down. And the band is called Flairck, not Flairdz.

1. "Aoife" (6:28) opens with a soft, laid back, beautiful weave between two string instruments (the Visser brothers' guitars). After a few rounds, in the third minute, the viola and panpipes join in. There is a slight shift in melody with a key shift at the 3:53 mark, the instrumental composition staying the same but everyone moving up the scales a bit to higher pitches. At 5:05 we drop back into the mid-range--though, again, there is a slight shift of melody and pacing. Beautiful song. What an opener! (13.5/15)

2. "Voorspel in Sofia" (7:06) opens with first one guitar, and then another, picking and strumming at a fast speed (they're in a hurry!) before panpipes enter and present the fast melody. At 1:15 the violin enters and there is a shift in structure and form though the pacing is still very fast and relentless. At 2:20 another shift in rhythmic structure ushers in a section in which panpipes and violin trade soli for a minute until bird-chirping from each instrument distracts us from a major slowdown from the guitars beneath. This new slow section doesn't change much in terms of structure or melody as violin and panpipes continue alternating their exposition and play with the pre-existing melody. At 5:45 Erik switches over to his mandola as Hans takes up the acoustic bass as the music speeds back up to the original pacing and as the panpipes and violin continue vying for the lead. (13.5/15)

3. "April 3rd" (5:39) sitar and mandola open this with a slow, spacious structure in which to present a variation on the main melodic theme of the Adagio from Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. Before the end of the first minute the sitar's lead switches the melody to something else--original or not, perhaps Celtic (more in the vein of Alan Stivell's work), it is familiar. In the fourth minute the sitar leaves and a flute takes its place. The sitar returns and kind of weaves its lower-range melody into the mix though the flute retains the lead. Nice song. (9/10)

4. "Oneven Wals (7:17) guitar and violin open this song with soft, delicate note interplay before being joined by flute (multiple?) and violin (multiple?). The weave is very soothing and flowing until the end of the third minute when a bridge signals the tempo change that happens at the 3:00 mark. A quickened pace yet retaining the smooth, aquatic flow of the music opens The fast, almost frenzied pace of the two lead instruments--the flute and violin--in the seventh minute is This may be the song that displays these musicians' virtuosity the best. I would also not be surprised to learn that this song was developed and recorded later than the previous three as it's engineering and compositional sophistication seems greater, deeper. (14/15)

5. "Variaties op een Dame (21:25) opening with four instrumentalists entering into a relaxed conversation using a melody familiar to me from Celtic music (or Pucchini opera). Eventually, in the third minute, yielding the center of attention to allow each of the others to have turns "speaking." The pastoral pacing is like a relaxed stroll on the grounds of a country estate or a pleasant tea on the veranda under the afternoon June sun. At 4:40 the music switches gears though the "Ode to Joy"-like melodic theme dominates the violin's play as the piccolo plays his own separate melody and guitar and double bass accompany. In the seventh minute a kind of Vivaldi lull falls upon the quintet as the violin falls into the telling of a particularly heart-wrenching story (using a melodic theme that is familiar to me from Alan Stivell's "Ys" from Renaissance of the Celtic Harp) This long unaccompanied violin solo again moves into Vivaldi territory with several familiar melodic themes being employed--including some more of Rodrigo. This continues to the 10:40 mark when everybody jumps back into a frenzy of activity, fast but not unnerving or chaotic, rather contrived work activity. At 12:30 we have evolved into a dance-like jig with multiple sections repeating over and over with collective weaves and solo sections, but all flowing seemlessly at the same pace. At 13:20 this stops and shifts into a more Iberian theme and style with some nice dual-instrument (piccolo and violin) presentation of the melody while the acoustic guitars strum along in a Spanish fashion. Another abrupt end at 15:14 opens the door for a more minimalists section in which a single bass guitar arpeggio and transverse flute plays a soft, distant, multi-octave melody. Guitars join in softly and the flute solo moves front and center to become more jazz-like until everything scales back again in the eighteenth minute to allow bass arpeggio be the lone supporter for a very active, breathy, vocal-accompanied/augmented flute solo. A very cool section! At the 19:00 mark everything cuts out once more, leaving space in which a viola enters to lay down a slow, plaintive melody. Violin is eventually joined by as the music starts to slowly construct a kind of Romani song, with instruments and pacing coming together slowly and then picking up faster and faster until the panpipes, violin and guitars are brought to a crescendo to close. Wow! What a trip! What masterful performances of a truly amazing composition! I can find neither fault or detriment to either the music or the level of engagement proffered by this song. This is about as close to perfection as music can get. (39/40)

6. "Dubbelspel (1:22) a fast run through a kind of lullaby or nursery song using a folk-bluegrass style. (4.25/5)

Total Time: 49:17

Five stars; a masterpiece of progressive folk music and a shining example of what virtuosic instrumentalists can create with traditional instruments and melodies.

1. "Oost-west Express" (East-West Express) (4:49) opens with some fast finger-picking on steel-string guitar, joined by second guitar in the second round, panpipes in the third, violin in the fourth and the quartet builds, congeals, detonates, reels, keens, kneels, serenades, danses, and finally spins wildly out of control. Cool song with very diverse and yet very old-feeling folk roots. (9/10)

2. "De Vlinder" (The Butterfly) (7:25) opens with solo flute trilling and flitting before guitar and sitar join in and take over with a melody that is borrowed from a very famous Celtic folk song. At the two minute mark Uillean pipes take over and strings shift beautifully, effortlessly, to support/accompaniment. Then, at the three minute mark, the tempo suddenly shifts with the sudden and forceful arrival of the violin, speeding her way through an amped up variation on the same Celtic melody. Flute takes over with fast-strumming of 12-string for a bit before pipes and violin duet the melody lead with the same 12-string accompaniment. At 5:20 things slow down as the melody transposes into a different key and temporary minor version before returning to the with three different instruments maintaining their own version of the lead melody in speed-dial. Wow! The final 30 seconds of slow- down are almost necessary for cool down. (15/15)

3. "Voor Antoinette" (For Antoinette) (2:08) nice acoustic guitar duet with a lullaby feel. (4.5/5)

4. "De Stoomwals" (Steam Engine Waltz) (8:29) panpipes based, this one represents very simple traditional folk melodies that could come from the Andes, the Pyrenees, the Caucasus, or the Balkans. The guitars, harp and violins accompany throughout but rarely take the lead away from the panpipes. I don't know why some versions of this song lack the calliope- (and steam engine-)like multi-panpipes intro and outro. (17/20)

5. "Gevecht Met De Engel Deel I" (8:25) opens with a flourish of multiple instruments bursting into a very Spanish sounding theme before breaking down after half a minute into a less cohesive, almost classical-sounding loose weave of the individual instruments. Spanish guitar moves into the fore solo, before flutes, violin and guitars come together for another, different frenzy flourish. At 2:00 things slow down into a delicate weave of gently picked arpeggio (sounding very GENESIS-like) setting the scene for a slow, plaintive flute solo. Spanish guitar and other guitar do some very interesting, technically challenging things in support, before the ensemble again rests for a slower Spanish guitar solo. Flute and violin join back in at the 3:40 mark, each carrying its own melody while gently- picked guitars support. At 4:32 a bass guitar enters and the rhythm guitars begin to strum more forcefully while violin and flute continue to play their separate-yet-interlaced (one mirroring the other) solos. After the six minute mark, the group amps up again--especially the strumming guitars--while flute and violin march on steadfastly. Guitars and bass settle back into the fold to support the powerful melody before a kind of Chinese weave of all the instruments (again, sounding very GENESIS-like) forms to play out to the end. Wow! It doesn't get much prettier or impressive than this! (19/20)

6. "Gevecht Met De Engel Deel II" (8:35) pastoral nylon string guitar opens this one before 12-string joins in and then harp. Gorgeous! After 90 seconds of this the classical guitar takes a more aggressive, Andalusian approach to the lead while 12-string and harp continue their beautiful support. At the end of the third minute all instruments drop away except for the classical guitar--doing the solo. In the fifth minute multiple bowed strings join in before classical guitar shifts its tone and force into a very Rodrigo-like (and then Mike Oldfield "Incantations 1") section. At the six minute mark flute enters with another very familiar Celtic melody while violin supports as guitars fall into accompanying roles. Classical guitar steps in to triplicate the lead instruments. What wonderful arrangements this quartet creates! Amazing! (20/20)

7. "Gevecht Met De Engel Deel III" (5:28) a kind of weave of several famous classical and folk styles and melodies-- from Beethoven to Romani to Rimsky-Korsakov to Ravel or Bizet. (9.5/10)

Total time: 44:03

Amazing compositions performed by top-notch virtuosi musicians. The only tiny complaint I have is concerning the borrowing of famous melody lines and playing styles from other European folk and classical traditions (even though they do it so amazingly well).

Five stars; a masterpiece of symphonic Progressive Folk music.

Although there is no rock, the songs are quite energetic most of the time, showing off both their great technic and fine craftsmanship in penning good tunes. Sometimes they take their virtuosity a little too far, as most 70´s acts did, but that´s forgivable. After all, it was hip then and those moments don´t last too long. And their sound is definitely progressive: just listen to the many variations and mood swings of the title track with its 21:25 running time. Not too many groups can hold anyone´s attention for that long in a purely instrumental basis, with such few instruments and no electronic effects at all. Besides the tunes are quite complex and surely takes time to fully enjoy the music here, but you´ll be reward if you do listen carefully. There are no lows and all the tracks are very strong. I really liked the even flow of the songs, making it a very nice listen all the way through. All is helped by the brilliant recording, that balanced the instruments well and clear. The cover is also great.

Conclusion: quite a debut! it´s hard to believe they started in a year when prog music in general were in such low moment. If you like something original and acoustic, or good music in general, this is a CD you can not miss. I´m looking forward to hear their next works. Recommended!

You should forget about the deep dives of the band into Chamber Folk and Classical Music, because this third album sounds more like World Music mixed with Ethno Prog, borrowing elements from nearly every possible corner of this mighty planet.Four lengthy tracks, all of them clock at over 10 minutes, exhibiting a wide range of acoustic instruments and several traditional musical styles as well as the standard interplays heard in Flairck's musicianship.At this point they sound like a less-focused MANEIGE, they shared the same taste for an affair between Folk Music and Fusion, creating emphatic instrumental interactions with lack of a vocal content and producing rich, all-acoustic soundscapes.On the other hand the material here contains so many national sounds and sights, that becomes a bit directionless at moments, while the music becomes hard to follow due to a very academic approach.These lovely symphonic interludes have been significantly reduced and instead you get a multi-ethnic proposal, which has its own charm, but leaves much to be desired.Echoes of Eastern, Andean, Balkan, Mediterrenean, Country and Spanish Music can be heard at specific moments during this Folk/Fusion orgasm of different colors, but I guess I am among the few people considering that this ends up to be rather messy.The performances are trully virtuosic and flawless, no doubt about it, and Flairck had to be one hell of an all-acoustic mini orchestra back at the time, but ''Circus'' fails to deliver the great feelings of the previous albums.

So, some strange situation here.I think the instrumental execution belongs among the very best ever to be displayed by the Hollanders.I just believe the result is rather chaotic, unfocused and ultra-professional for casual listeners.At least the title of the album was really succesful and the cover art is among the best you can find around.Recommended for lovers of Ethnic Music and Acoustic Prog...2.5 stars.

Another impressive amalgam of Folk and Chamber Music, resulting a charming acoustic Fusion album, was the proposal of the band, although this time the symphonic references are more pronounced, making Flairck something of a European equivalent to MANEIGE, despite the different traditional references.Flairck sound more romantic and sensitive, performing four mini-suites on the opening side and a 22-min/three-part epic composition on the flipside.The album is a storm of flute/violin interplays with references to Classical and Medieval periods, characterized by nice breaks from dramatic segments to soft soundscapes and sweet melodies.The long title-track sounds like a Classical suite performed on acoustic guitars, flute and violin with absence of drums and focusing on stretched individual executions, sometimes lasting a bit too long.However the instrumental depth and superb, melancholic atmosphere are definitely surprising.The opening side actually sounds more progressive, as most of the pieces contain extended instrumental interactions and plenty of shifting climates with some fantastic executions, while the epic piece is more romantic in nature with a more mellow mood.

This acoustic ensemble was pretty original and ''Gevecht met de engel'' is a beautiful work of Folk/Fusion with dramatic instrumental textures and attractive interplays.Strongly recommended, even if you are not a fan of totally acoustic music...3.5 stars.