James MacMillan's Violin Concerto in the Concertgebouw

Verdi voices that make one sit up and listen made this a memorable matinee.

Director Michieletto’s playful staging, Stefano Montanari’s expressive conducting and stylish singing from a cast of seasoned Rossinian singers make for a thoroughly enjoyable new production of the too rare Il viaggio a Reims at the Dutch National Opera.

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.

Many a dark tone roamed inside the Muziekgebouw as lovers of daring, opinionated orchestral music gathered there one day after the Mayan calendar ended. Diverse interpretations of apocalyptic fantasies and prophecies unfolded during this night. Apocalyptic, in its literal Greek meaning: revealing, disclosing.

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.

Amsterdam’s Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ is a venue known for its adventurous programs and patronage of contemporary music. Tonight’s concert was had the theme “Rust z8”, or “Rest in Peace” (literally “Rest softly”). The evening boasted two premieres: a Dutch premiere of James MacMillan’s Nunc dimittis and the world premiere of Alexander Raskatov’s Alphabet of Death, with the composer present.