Handel At The Piano
A multifaceted and prize-winning project
Handel At The Piano was born out of a passion to bring the keyboard works of George Frideric Handel to the stage. Highly underrated and seldom played in public, it definitely was time to introduce these characterful and diverse suites and pieces to the audience.
Daria felt the music was not only perfect for the concert stage, but also had the right elements to interest people in the street as well as online. The result was a two year period of innovative musical adventures all over the world, some never seen before, all chronicled at the dedicated blog based website www.handelatthepiano.com
For a proper introduction, please watch this TEDTalk, chosen by the global TED organisation as ‘One of the most powerful ideas of 2014’.
Peter Donohoe
‘I particularly loved Daria van den Bercken’s recital, which included some Handel, which she played so remarkably that I am inspired to take up the repertoire myself.’
In 2012, Daria van den Bercken was awarded the Amsterdam Prize. The jury explained being deeply impressed by the power of people: ‘The individual, able to change the world on the basis of their own will power and talent.’
About Daria and Handel At The Piano: ‘She wants the world to share in her passion for Handel, crossing generation gaps, and breaking down cultural walls and dogmas. Craftmanship weighed heavily in our evaluation: quality is a requirement for the added value art can have. Daria’s glowing and passionate performances are musically interesting and the way they are presented is exemplary for musicians of the future. That is why she deserves, by unanimous vote, the Amsterdam prize.’
‘I wanted to reach out and catch people unexpectedly!’
— Daria
