Concertzender Newsletter

Editorial

The Concertzender in March: bell-ringers of spring

Although winter is not yet over, the approaching of passion plays and performances of the St Matthew Passion, which will take place from the end of March, are signs that spring is on its way.

You can see this in the weather as well; March is coming in like a lion. The Concertzender offers something for every wind direction and for all temperatures. Let yourself be surprised by both the well-known and the little-known music that can be heard this month.

On demand

Theme: Early Music

More about Bach's St Matthew Passion

In the podcast Bach &Co, the makers of our program Bach ad Infinitum provide background information about Bach’s masterpiece in a series of four programmes.

Listen to all the episodes here.

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On 27 March, Bach's St Matthew Passion will be performed in the Concertgebouw by the renowned ensemble La Petite Bande directed by Sigiswald Kuijken. This performance is for a small ensemble, a format that has been praised by both press and public. In this format, the vocal soloists also sing the choral parts. This creates a very transparent and emotional performance. It is also the format that is considered to be the closest to Bach's original concept.

Readers of this newsletter can go to this performance with a €15,- discount. Click here for more information and to book your tickets with a discount (the linked page is in Dutch).

Monday 13th to Sunday 19th March

Theme: Classical

The ‘interim’ conductor of the Concertgebouw orchestra

In the week from 13 to 19 March, a work conducted by Eduard van Beinum, chief conductor of the Concertgebouworkest from 1945 to 1959, will be performed every day at the end of The Morning Edition programme.

Eduard van Beinum has always remained somewhat in the shadow of his predecessor Willem Mengelberg and of his successor Bernard Haitink. That is not entirely justified. Van Beinum was a natural talent, much loved by both the members of the orchestra and the audiences. He had a subtle conducting style, but was often all the more effective as a result. He was a musician among the musicians and not some kind of demigod who was high above the members of the orchestra.

In The Morning Editions you will hear the Fourth Piano Concerto by Ludwig van Beethoven (with Robert Casadesus as soloist), the Italian Symphony by Felix Mendelssohn, Nuages by Claude Debussy and Psyché by César Franck.

Listen: The Morning Edition, Monday 13th to Sunday 19th March, 7 - 10 am CET.

Thursdays 30th March, 6th April and 20th April

Theme: Early Music

Swan Song by Orlando Di Lasso

A new miniseries The Swan Song of Orlando di Lasso focuses on Lagrime di San Pietro the three-part cycle of spiritual madrigals by Orlando di Lasso (ca.1532-1594). From Thursday 30 March, we will broadcast the miniseries as part of our Documento series.

Orlando di Lasso was born in Mons and wrote the Lagrime di San Pietro shortly before his death. He was 62 years old and the work is therefore often called his swan song. At that time, according to his friend and court physicist, he suffered from 'Melancholia hypochondrica'. His wife also wrote in a letter that Lassus suffered from hallucinations.

Listen: Documento, Thursday 30th March, 9 - 10 pm CET

On demand and Wednesday 5th April

Theme: Contemporary Music

New music from Australia's First Peoples

Ngarra-Burria is a development programme in Australia for musicians of Aboriginal descent, now usually referred to as First Peoples. Ngarra-Burria means: listening – singing. Ensemble Offspring has recorded several dozen pieces by Aboriginal composers for the first time.

"We pay our respects to their ancestors, their present-day situation and to the First Nations all over the world. We are honoured to be able to make music on the land that has been home to a rich cultural practice for more than 65,000 years," said Ensemble Offspring.

Their work is featured in three broadcasts in our Contemporary Music series. At the end of the second broadcast you can listen to Quamby by Peter Sculthorpe, the Australian composer who has meant a lot to Aboriginal music.

Listen: the first broadcast (Wednesday 1st February), the second broadcast (Wednesday 1st March). The third and final episode can be listened to live: Contemporary Music, Wednesday 5th April, 8 - 9 pm CET.

Wednesday 8th March

Theme: Crosslinks

New concert series from Utrecht’s Vechtclub XL

In a new series of Concertzender Live you can hear the recordings we made during Podiumdorst, in the Vechtclub XL in Utrecht. During this two-hour broadcast, you can listen to concerts by Honingbeer, Holograph, The World Of Dust and Lo/now.

Vechtclub XL is the music stage within the breeding ground that is Vechtclub Keiland. In Utrecht it is the place to present productions for the first time. Under the name Podiumdorst, Stefan Breuer (label boss of Tiny Room Records and band member of Combo Qazam) is organising sixteen evenings during the year that are focused on the 'indie scene'. In addition, plenty of space is given to more obscure genres such as ambient, noise, folk and experimental rock.

Listen: Concertzender Live, Wednesday 8th March, 8 - 10 pm CET.

On demand, Saturdays 25th March and 22nd April

Theme: Jazz

Harold Arlen in The Great American Songbook

Stormy Weather, Let's Fall In Love and Over The Rainbow are classics that are known by everyone. They all feature in our new three-part series about Harold Arlen, one of the most famous composers of the Great American Songbook.

Lee, Arlen en Damone Arlen was born Hyman Arluck and turned out to be a child prodigy. Soon after starting piano lessons at the age of 9, he was already better than his teacher and before he was 16 years old he was playing and singing in bars and vaudeville shows.

In the late 1920s he went to New York City, changed his name to Harold Arlen and began his career as a composer. During that career, he won many awards, including Grammys and Oscars. Part 1 of this series presents music from the Great American Songbook. The other two parts will follow on the fourth Saturday of March and April.

Listen: The Great American Songbook, Saturdays 25th March and 22nd April, 4 - 5 pm CET. Part 1 of this series, broadcast 25th Februari, can be listened to here.