Editorial |
The Concertzender in December: a programme to suit any (Christmas) moodThis December month, while its’s dark and cold outside, is the perfect time to enjoy music. Rushing to get all preparations for the holiday season done, feeling excited about the presents under the christmas tree. As the neuropsychologist Erik Scherder says: “Music enters the brain in the same area as where our stress is produced. Music can have a subduing effect: It lowers your pulse, slows down your breathing and helps to let go of that rushed feeling. Music calms down your stress systems.” All the more reason to tune into the Concertzender this month, where we have an array of programmes to suit any mood. So, it’s with a calm and confident feeling we wish you happy holidays! |
Friday December 20thTheme: Global (World) |
Acoustic Roots: looking ahead and back
In preparation for next year a recording of African music took place in Utrecht on Sunday December 1st. Daniel Okiror, originally Ugandan, played authentic African string instruments. Together with his band, he took us on a musical journey through his African repertoire. The concert will be broadcast Friday 17 January 2025. In the meantime, you can enjoy 2024's last edition of Acoustic Roots. Listen: Acoustic Roots, Friday December 20th, 21:00 - 22:00 CET. |
Saturday December 21stTheme: Crosslinks |
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Wednesday December 11thTheme: Contemporary |
Georg Friedrich Haas pushes the boundaries
Haas's work is associated with so-called spectral music, a movement that focuses on the analysis of sound spectra from which sound structures are then formed. His music is further characterised by an intense focus on the microtonal, often stretching the boundaries of the traditional Western scale by using intervals smaller than the traditional semitone. Listen: Theme, Wednesday December 11th, 20:00 - 22:00 CET. |
On demandTheme: Jazz |
In Memoriam: Quincy JonesQuincy Jones died on November 3 and JazzNotJazz broadcast a tribute to him with a selection of his work from the 1970s. The thirteen pieces in the programme form a cross-section of his work from that decade. Compositions with dynamic chord progressions alternate with pieces that require only one chord/root note. The colour palette has been expanded with electronics, harmonica, strings, harp and vocalists – sometimes including Jones himself – who also sing without lyrics. Not everyone will know the title Chump Change, but sports fans, listeners to the NOS Langs de Lijn programme, will be surprised to hear the complete song. Listen: JazzNotJazz, broadcast on Saturday November 23rd. |
Tuesday December 3rdTheme: World of Jazz |
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Wednesday December 25thTheme: Crosslinks |
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Thursday December 26thTheme: Early |
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Podcast (on demand)Theme: Early |
No Christmas without Bach
In the podcast Bach & Co we pay a lot of attention to the background of the Weihnachtsoratorium. In five episodes we discuss a number of aspects of this work, and we provide a complete run-through and interpretation of all six cantatas. Listen: Bach & Co (from episode70), via via the usual podcast platforms. Image: |
ColophonConcertzender
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Next newsletterThe next Concertzender newsletter will (likely) appear late December / early January.
Support us to continue broadcastingDo you hold the Concertzender dear, are you a donor? In 2024 the Lerak Foundation will double all donations: an additonal reason to support the Concertzender with a financial contribution now! So Sign up to become a donor or make a one-time donation. If you are a donor already, perhaps you have friends or colleagues who would also be interested in supporting the Concertzender. Register your friends for our newsletter and inform them about the possibilities to sponsor the Concertzender.
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On Friday December 20th Acoustic Roots will look back at the current year and ahead to next year.
Winter Solstice 6: Music for the longest night of the year
This month Theme focuses for two hours on the special oeuvre of the Austrian composer Georg Friedrich Haas (1953). His compositions are not only technically innovative, but also emotionally charged. He explores themes such as the subconscious and the tension between what you hear and what you think you hear. This makes his music a deeply intriguing listening experience.
His own albums contained pure jazz compositions and this music is interspersed with film and TV music, soul and pop hits. And always with the best musicians, the soloists in particular.
New harvest and old wine from Dutch jazz soil
Alternative sounds for Christmas in Terra Incognita
The Christmas Story by Schütz
This Christmas we can again warm ourselves with the Weihnachtsoratorium and the Magnificat by Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach's Weihnachtsoratorium brings light into the darkness, and this underexposed work is an important link to later works by Bach.
