Kristen moved to the Netherlands to study Baroque flute with Wilbert Hazelzet and is currently pursuing a Masters degree at the Koninklijk Conservatoire in The Hague. She is also the founding member of the Utrecht-based Deadbeat Society, a group dedicated to live performance in an open-stage atmosphere.
The new Netherlands Opera performance of Richard Wagner’s only comic opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg was an absolute success. Spanning a daunting four-and-a-half hours, the evening kept us wanting more rather than searching for the clock.
It was a surprising afternoon of world premières at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw this weekend. With promises of young talent, such as the rising Dutch recorder player Erik Bosgraaf, and daring new compositions by Peter Adriaansz and Louis Andriessen, the event shed some light on the state of modern music today.
The music spoke for itself the other day in Amsterdam, as the truly communicative and inspiring Helsinki Baroque Orchestra showed its strength on the Concertgebouw stage.
All too often opera in concert is presented in its most basic format, without the theatricality and staging so characteristic to its execution. However, when a presentation comes along from the likes of The King’s Consort, you can be sure that justice will be served, even without the smoke and mirrors we’ve all grown to love.
In the oldest quarter of Utrecht sat two harpsichords nestled side-by-side in a dimly lit corner of the Geertekerk. It was perhaps an unassuming sight from afar, yet as Skip Sempé and Pierre Hantaï entered the space, the atmosphere suddenly perked up the attentions of unsuspecting ears.
The Netherlands Opera’s production of William Tell, directed by Pierre Audi, has proved a daunting endeavor, captivating the audience through its colorful treatment of Rossini’s final opera. From the cast of characters on stage and the musicians of the orchestra to the sound, lighting, stage and costume departments, the roughly four-and-a-half-hour event couldn’t have been more stimulating.
The musical depth of 17th-century English composer Henry Purcell received an overwhelmingly heartfelt and hilarious production from BarokOpera Amsterdam this week. The group has collected a milieu of music from the composer in addition to a colorful commentary on the lives of King William III and Queen Mary to paint an entirely vivid, and candid, picture of history through a modern lens.
The youthful, up-and-coming orchestral ensemble, Les Vents Atlantiques, presented a riveting program this weekend to an eager audience. Performing chamber and orchestral repertoire from the late eighteenth to mid-nineteenth centuries, the group was led by violinist Rebecca Huber.
A stunning Amandine Beyer courageously took the stage this weekend during a string of concerts surrounding the theme of J.S. Bach during Utrecht’s Bach Dag (Bach Day). Comprising seven concerts on Saturday alone in churches inside the beautiful city of Utrecht, this two-day event was produced by the Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht (Utrecht Early Music Festival).
The energetic Holland Baroque Society presented a lively program juxtaposing works of Johann Joseph Fux and Johann Sebastian Bach this week. Evident from the start was the group’s overarching enthusiasm and passion for this particular repertoire. The atmosphere reflected the musicians onstage, full of youth and infused with a breath of new life.
The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra summoned the spirit of the holiday season this weekend with their performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. The work was originally composed for church services taking place during the Christmas season of 1734. Tonight’s performance featured the entire work, which was originally split into six sections, each intended for a different day.
The Radio Kamer Filharmonie gave a riveting performance of orchestral works of the late 18th century under the direction of Masaaki Suzuki this weekend at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. The theme of the afternoon dealt with the brief but highly influential German artistic movement dubbed Sturm und Drang.
In an age of modern convenience and so-called progress, it’s refreshing to witness an endeavor by a group of enthusiastic young musicians seeking to dig up music’s past. Bojan Cicic and his ensemble Suonar Cantando put on a marvelous display of musical responsibility by treating this repertoire with the fire it deserves.
A pseudo-cinematic turn of events forced the world renowned Brodsky Quartet to pull out all the stops for their concert in Utrecht last Thursday evening. Continually in demand as interpreters of the standard string quartet repertoire as well as proponents of new music commissioned by living composers, the quartet has accumulated a wealth of original manuscripts for their personal catalogue.
Frans Brüggen led the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century in what proved to be a monumental afternoon of music. Ever true to the spirit of its namesake, this ensemble has dedicated itself since 1981 to the practical execution of works from the Baroque era. This particular program showcased works spanning a 25-year range, from Bach’s Orchestral Suite no.
An impassioned evening of Beethoven was drawn from the fingertips of the fascinating young pianist Shuann Chai last Wednesday in Utrecht’s Vredenburg Leeuwenbergh. Presenting three of Ludwig van Beethoven’s most well-known sonatas for piano, the Pathétique, Moonlight, and Appassionata, Ms. Chai wove an intriguing and constantly changing musical soundscape.
The Combattimento Consort Amsterdam gave a robust concert of Baroque repertoire last weekend in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Presenting an ambitious program of concerti grossi by George Frideric Handel and one particularly humorous organ concerto by the little-known English composer John Stanley, this fine ensemble drew a stark contrast to what we usually expect in the Baroque field today.
The world’s largest gathering of early music artists and professionals, the Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht, marked its final concert on Sunday 2 September with a full-house performance by the Collegium Vocale Gent. Led by Philippe Herreweghe, the ensemble has been dedicated since the 1970s to the pursuit of Baroque sonorities and performance practice.
