A Scottish-Dutch affair: Brautigam premieres Beamish’s new Piano Concerto

Candida Thompson’s performance of Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel with understated beauty, immaculate phrasing and restrained emotion, steals the show.

Baritone and pianist Thomas Oliemans demonstrated his love of the French chanson accompanied by the richly layered strings of the Amsterdam Sinfonietta.

The impressive Amsterdam Sinfonietta showed lucidity and depth in Britten and Shostakovich, with tenor Ilker Arcayürek and horn player Felix Klieser adding much to the quality.

Ominous Bartók, polished Mozart and energetic Bach, all on a superb musical spring evening in Amsterdam.

Imaginative Bach and an exciting new work by Dobrinka Tabakova played by the Amsterdam Sinfonietta with pianists Ferhan and Ferzan Önder.

Ruth Mackenzie, Holland Festival’s vivacious and invigorating new director, closed her first edition with a twelve hour Prom, reinventing it as a mini-festival at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.