Introducing: Luc Nijs

Our new programme Opera in the 20th century has been made by Luc Nijs, who was previously involved with our programmes Contemporary Music and The Last Century.

“The series has become a chronological overview of opera and related music styles such as operetta and the Spanish zarzuela. It also includes opera from the Far East and the Middle East which shows both similar developments as well as local variations. We start in 1900 and will ultimately end in 2019. The chronological approach allows us to address different aspects of the music in parallel. Through the music we gain an insight into the history of the period. We can hear how trends change over the years, and how the music reflects the society in which it was made.”

Footnotes

“I already knew a lot about the history of opera, but making this series has made me aware of many productions that have been forgotten over the years and are now only mentioned in footnotes. It is often not clear why certain operas are still well-known today and other are not. Some wonderful productions have been completely forgotten, including some that were very succesful when they were made. The series even includes operas that have never been performed. Many operas from the 20th century and particularly from the period after the Second World War are now completely unknown, or get far too little attention.”

Profit margins

“Where possible, we have chosen for the less well-known recordings and operas. Old recordings are often easier to find that more recent ones. Many recent productions have never been recorded. Profit margins in the recording industry have become too important. The major labels are no longer willing to take risks and making a recording of an opera is expensive. Even when it does happen, it is still two or three years after the premiere and the recording is only intended for promotional activities. On the Concertzender website we will publish a complete list of all the opera recordings that have been issued each year. We have already recorded the programmes for the first year of broadcasts, the period up to 1942.”

Passion

“I am also involved with the series The Last Century for the Concertzender, where I work on the ‘birthday series’. In 2016 we featured Steve Reich, Erik Satie and Adolf Friedrich Hesse , in 2017 it will be Olivier Messiaen. I also produced programmes in the past for the Contemporary Music series, but with the new opera series I no longer have time for that. My primary employment is as a hedge-funds manager and I also work for the Legal Faculty of the University of Leiden. The work for the Concertzender is a hobby, but is also a passion. A passion that I rediscovered a few years ago when my son went to the music academy to study organ and harpsichord.”

Klara

“I live in Belgium, so I can only listen to the Concertzender via internet, but that is not a problem. Our local radio station is Klara, and although that station is fine, much of the music that is played is Baroque and Romantic music, just like Radio 4 in the Netherlands. That appeals to a broad public and is alright as background music. Another Belgian station RTBF 3 is a bit more adventurous, but not much. Contemporary classical music is avoided by almost every station. That is a logical result if your objectives are to maximise the number of listeners, you move towards the most popular music and end up just playing André Rieu.”

“The Concertzender offers a wider range of music and more focussed programmes that the public stations, despite all their millions. The enthousiasms of the makers result in such special programmes. We can all be proud of the achievements of the Concertzender and of what it represents. It is unique and cannot be missed.”