Concept & Inspiration VOSTOK: Remote Islands is a musical voyage through the world’s most secluded places, inspired by Judith Schalansky’s poetic atlas. The book, a collection of stories about islands untouched by the author, serves as both score and compass for this project. Clarinettist Fie Schouten, cellist Vincent Courtois, and keyboardist Guus Janssen—joined at times by guest artists—transform these distant landscapes into sound, evoking their isolation, mystery, and ecological fragility.

Each performance is a unique, improvised conversation, shaped by the dramaturgy of the book’s stories. The trio’s sophisticated interplay, enriched by the timbral possibilities of bass clarinet, cello, and a palette of keyboards (piano, organ, harmonium, harpsichord), creates a sonic world as vast and varied as the islands themselves. The music moves between stark solitude and lush complexity, mirroring the contrasts of remote environments.

Collaborations The project is designed to be open and evolving. Past performances have featured visual artists (live drawing, scenography), writers (spoken word), and musicians (saxophone, violin). These collaborations reflect the spirit of the book: a celebration of curiosity, respect, and the intrinsic value of places and cultures beyond our immediate reach.

Philosophy More than a concert, VOSTOK: Remote Islands is an invitation to listen deeply—to distant places, to each other, and to the world around us. It is a call for respect and wonder, for the far and the near, through the universal language of music.