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Caroline Shaw: ‘Nothing breaks writer’s block like walking!’ | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
Composer, violinist and singer Caroline Shaw is a musical jack-of-all-trades, who doesn’t limit herself to the world of modern-classical music, but just as easily collaborates with pop musicians, filmmakers and dancers. She is composer in residence at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw from 2024-25, in which period she will compose a new piece for Sō Percussion. Caroline…
Dutch National Opera presents Rigoletto as a mental wreck in a psychiatric clinic | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
Under dramatically dissonant orchestral sounds, the curtain rises on Rigoletto, Verdi's 17th opera, in the Amsterdam Music Theatre. Instead of the ballroom in the ducal palace from the libretto, we find ourselves in a frigid room in a psychiatric clinic. In this 2017 revival, director Damiano Michieletto presents Rigoletto as a mental wreck, broken by…
Brigitta Muntendorf: ‘I always ask myself: who is the audience?’ | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
In Brigitta Muntendorf’s work multimedia and audience participation play a major role. In our country she is still relatively unknown, but in the past Holland Festival she scored high with her transdigital music theatre piece Melencolia. Next season she will compose a new work for Asko|Schönberg. ‘I constantly ask myself: Who is the audience?’ Muntendorf…
CD Adrift: Delphine Trio presents male composers | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
Three continents are united in the Delphine Trio, which consists of Australian clarinettist Magdalenna Krstevska, Dutch cellist Jobine Siekman and South African pianist Roelof Temmingh. They met at the Royal College of Music in London, where they formed their ensemble in 2020. The three musicians have so far performed mainly in the UK and the…
Theo Loevendie The Rise of Spinoza | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
Ten years after the rave premiere of The Rise of Spinoza in 2014, the Dutch label Attacca released the live recording of Theo Loevendie' one-act opera on CD. Here's the review of the concert in NTRZaterdagMatinee I wrote at the time. After a decade, the opera is as poweful as ever, and the recording catches…
Choral music by Lūcija Garūta: from sweet-voiced to incendiary | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
Thanks to the boom in female composers being rescued from oblivion lately, I was sent a CD by Latvian Lūcija Garūta (1902-1977). The album is entirely dedicated to her choral music and named after the opening song Apple Tree, which she composed in 1956. A number of pieces have their premieres on this album. Lūcija…
Pianist Antonio Oyarzabal presents new selection of women composers on La muse oubliée II | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
In 2021, Antonio Oyarzabal launched La muse oubliée, featuring music by thirteen well-known and lesser-known European women from the Baroque to the 20th century. Two years later, on El fin del silencio, he championed an odd 20 women composers from Latin America. The success of the two discs apparently tasted like more, for the Spanish-British…
Karmit Fadael writes Violin Concerto Mimesis: ‘Inevitably you put the stamp of your identity on your music’ | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
Karmit Fadael started out as a violinist but is now a much sought-after composer. She regularly appears on radio and TV and has written an impressive number of works for renowned ensembles and festivals. On 11 April, her Violin Concerto Mimesis will be premiered at Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam. She composed it for…
‘The Shell Trial’ drowns in too many characters and pamfleteering texts | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
Engagement in the arts is back. In 2017, Kate Honey composed her Shell Symphony in protest against the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, which was sponsored by the polluting oil giant. Seven years later, Ellen Reid, composer in residence of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, wrote The Shell Trial. This opera was inspired by a play about the lawsuit against…
Energizing Faust-opera by Louise Bertin gets belated premiere at Aalto-Theater | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
Every so often, a lost piece of music turns up and the entire press eagerly pounces on the new find. Yet the rediscovery of the opera Fausto by Louise Bertin seemed to elude their attention, apart from some reviews of the superb CD recording Palazzetto Bru Zane dedicated to this masterpiece. The first scenic performance…
Mathilde Wantenaar composes ‘Ballade’: ‘I briefly considered Ballad in Blue…’ | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
The AVROTROSVrijdagconcert has long programmed lesser-known works from the classical canon as well as championing Dutch composers. On Friday, March 8, the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra will play the world premiere of Ballade by Mathilde Wantenaar. As always, the concert will be broadcast live on NPO Klassiek. Born in Amsterdam in 1993, Wantenaar has won many…
On the cutting edge: Delta Piano Trio plays Lera Auerbach | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
Lera Auerbach (b. 1973, Chelyabinsk) grew up under Soviet dictatorship, but decided to trade it for the free West during a concert tour of America in 1991; a few months later, the Soviet Union fell apart. Auerbach continued to live in New York, building an increasingly successful career from there. She is by no means…
Adela Zaharia shines in overwhelming La traviata | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
‘I return to life! Oh joy!’ sings Adela Zaharia at the end of La traviata. Unassailable she stands on her tombstone, her arm raised to heaven as if she were the American Statue of Liberty. Dismay among the bystanders, as she clearly breathes her last with these words. The orchestra puts an end to her…
The Netherlands: home to Calliope Tsoupaki and Genevieve Murphy | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
Attracted by the progressive musical climate, countless aspiring composers found their way to one of the Dutch conservatoires. Among them the Greek Calliope Tsoupaki (Piraeus, 1963) and the Scottish Geneviève Murphy (Dundee, 1988). Why did they come to the Netherlands and how has this impacted their artistry? A double interview I wrote for the French…
Unsuk Chin: ‘I want to entice the listener into a cosmological fantasy land’ | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
Unsuk Chin (Seoul, 1961) is at the centre of this season's radio concert series NTRZaterdagMatinee in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. On Saturday 13 January the Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra will play the Dutch premiere of Alaraph 'Ritus des Herzschlags' (Ritual of a heartbeat). Artist's conception of two heartbeat stars and a companion star (c) NASA/JPL-Caltech This…
Slow Roads by Ivan Vukosavljević: a loving ode to the organ | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
Recently the new music label Elsewhere Music released the CD Slow Roads with eight organ pieces by Ivan Vukosavljević (1986). I got to know the Serbian/Dutch composer in 2017, when I interviewed him prior to the opening concert of the Gaudeamus Music Week, as one of the five nominees for the Gaudeamus Music Award. Although…
Lucia Lucas gives her voice to forgotten women | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
In the opera The World’s Wife, British poet Carol Ann Duffy retells ancient stories from a female perspective; her compatriot Tom Green wrote the music. Dutch Jorinde Keesmaat signed on to direct and the Ragazze Quartet managed to snare American baritone Lucia Lucas for the lead role. She came out as trans in 2013. The…
War drama ‘Song of the Dark Forest’ opens strong, but gradually loses tension | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
It is a golden idea: having a Ukrainian bass-baritone sing Russian songs while Ukraine groans under the devastating war of agression from its neighbour Russia. Director Serge van Veggel and his company Opera2Day have realised many special productions with changing partners, and joined forces with Scapino Ballet Rotterdam for Song of the Dark Forest. The…
First Ladies at the MET: Ethel Smyth & Kaija Saariaho | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
In 1903, Ethel Smyth debuted at the Metropolitan Opera New York with her opera Der Wald, as the first female composer ever. One hundred and thirteen years later, Kaija Saariaho followed in her footsteps with L’Amour de loin. Recently, Der Wald was released on CD. Saariaho died this summer; the MET has scheduled Innocence in…
Mahsa Vahdat tours with Amsterdam Sinfonietta: ‘My voice is my home’ | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
The internationally renowned Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat (Tehran, 1973) tours with Amsterdam Sinfonietta, singing her own settings of Persian poetry. She moved from Iran to the US in 2015, but ‘I live in my voice, my voice is my home’. From early on Vahdat has felt a deep bond with Persian poetry: ‘The messages of…
Kaija Saariaho’s opera Innocence is an ardent plea against looking away | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023), who died last summer, created a haunting masterpiece with Innocence, her fifth and last opera. It is an ardent plea against looking away, captivating for the full one hundred and forty-five minutes and providing much food for thought. The audience at the Amsterdam Stopera rightly rewarded the Dutch premiere with stormy applause.…
Lera Auerbach on Flights of the Angakok: ‘Our life as a species depends on the heartbeat of the Arctic. If it stops, we’re done for’ | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
For lovers of contemporary music, Lera Auerbach is certainly no stranger to the Netherlands. Her 50th birthday will be celebrated with a grand festival from Oct. 15-22 in Amare, The Hague. She herself conducts the Netherlands Chamber Choir in the world premiere of Flights of the Angakok, a plea for the preservation of the North…
Dutch National Opera hits the bullseye with dazzling Mahagonny | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
Menacingly, choir, soloists and extras march towards us, spitting in our faces: 'Can't help ourselves and you and no-one!' The well-filled Amsterdam Music Theatre erupts in ovational applause, with loud cheers and jubilation. Not one boo disturbs the overall euphoria after the premiere of Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny (Rise and Fall of the…
Breaking the silence: pianist Antonio Oyarzabal champions Latin American women composers | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
The Spanish-British pianist Antonio Oyarzabal presents women composers from Latin America on his disc El fin del silencio. This is a follow-up of La muse oubliée from 2021, that featured music by 13 well-known and lesser-known European ladies. Alongside works by the inevitable Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann he placed pieces by lesser known composers…
Rebecca Clarke, celebrated viola player, forgotten composer | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
This spring, the Italian pianist Gioia Giusti is dedicating the music show Ha avuto un padre anch’io to Rebecca Clarke, at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence (12 March) and the Teatro Giuglielmi in Massa (30 March). It is named after Clarke's memoir I Had a Father, too. Because of the scepticism towards female composers,…
Annelies Vrieswijk honours French composers on CD Héroines | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
On her latest album, alto saxophonist Annelies Vrieswijk presents music by three French composers who have been very inspirational for her. The title is as simple as it is effective: Héroines. She graduated with honours twice: in 2006 Annelies Vrieswijk received her Bachelor saxophone with Peter Stam at the Prince Claus Conservatoire in Groningen, two…
Rain Worthington hits nostalgic tone on CD Passages Through Time | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
The CD Passages Through Time paints a portrait of American composer Rain Worthington in eight compositions for strings in various settings. The CD-inlay promises ‘a journey through the currents of Worthington’s musical streams’, that will ‘reveal the primal commonality of our experience of life’. This may explain the title, but the high expectations thus created…
Russian composer Roman Stolyar writes B-ut-c-h-a: ‘I can’t remain silent on the war against Ukraine’ | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
Shocked on learning how Russian soldiers had ruthlessly killed innocent civilians in the Ukrainian city of Bucha in March 2022, Roman Stolyar composed B-ut-c-h-a for piano and strings. Though he offered the score as a free download, the piece has not yet been performed. – Interview with a musician who dares speak out against Putin’s…
Emilie Mayer defied 19th century mores with grand symphonies | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
As with many a composer, Emilie Mayer (1812-1883) was very successful during her lifetime, but was forgotten almost immediately after her death. The German historian Barbara Beuys is now restoring her to her former glory with the biography Emilie Mayer, Europas größte Komponistin (Emilie Mayer, Europe’s greatest female composer). Mayer composed in all genres and…
Intercontinental Ensemble builds an arc of women composers | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
The CD Arc by the Intercontinental Ensemble is entirely dedicated to music by women composers. It is a recent trend: after ages of neglect, the female composer is finally on the rise. Ensembles, orchestras and musicians whose programmes up to now featured only music by (mainly dead) white males, are suddenly championing their music. As…
Composer Indra Riše: ‘I get bored if music doesn’t come from the soul’ | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
Whereas the Dutch government seems to regard culture as a superfluous luxury, other countries cherish its intrinsic value. The Latvian Music Information Centre regularly presents new CDs by composers from Latvia. In 2021 it released Trumpets of Angels with six organ works by Indra Riše, named after the first piece on the CD. I asked…
Jennifer Walshe composes Mars I: ‘My robots follow the trajectory of the Perseverance Rover’ | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
In collaboration with AMMODO, Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ regularly presents brand new compositions intended to reach a general audience. In the afternoon, a piece is worked on extensively in a public rehearsal; in the evening, the world premiere is performed.On both occasions I ask the composer beforehand about the how and why of their composition.…
Golda Schultz gives fabulous voice to women composers | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
In the recent surge of CD’s featuring music by women composers This Be Her Verse offers a veritable breath of fresh air. South African soprano Golda Schultz works from an intrinsic motivation. In the booklet she writes how she always strived to give voice to unexplored corners of the female perspective in songs written by…
Elena Firsova composes Piano Concerto for Concertgebouw Orchestra: ‘A new work of art brings new life’ | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
On 16 and 17 June, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra will present the world premiere of Elena Firsova's Concert for Piano and Orchestra. She was inspired by a quotation from Boris Pasternak and a motif from Beethoven. I interviewed her for an article in the Dutch music magazine De Nieuwe Muze: ‘Edison Denisov taught me how…
Sofia Gubaidulina makes the earth tremble in ‘Der Zorn Gottes’ | Contemporary Classical – Thea Derks
For Sofia Gubaidulina (b. 1931), composing is anything but a frivolous affair: every note stems from a deep-rooted belief in man's connection with the universe. This must be cherished, to protect mankind from degeneration. On Friday 13 May, the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Nicholas Collon will perform the long-awaited Dutch premiere of her orchestral…