Composer of the month
401DutchOperas Anthology I
The first part of the 401DutchOperas Anthology covers the period from Sweelinck (1595) to the French Period 1814. The book will be published in 2023 by the Dato Fund in collaboration with the Netherlands Music Institute Foundation. Included are opera composers such as Vondel/Padbrué, Huygens and the Amsterdam Liedschool composers 1687-1715: Hacquart/Buysero, Petersen, Anders and Schenck. In the first half of the 18th century also Van Blankenburg, De Fesch and Zingoni. From the period of Stadtholder William V: Jacob Jan van Wassenaer Obdam, Josina van Boetzelaer, Gottfried van Swieten, Belle van Zuylen, Colizzi, JMeissner, Just, the Mulligen brothers, and Mozart in The Hague. In the French Period: Bartholomeus Ruloffs, Jean des Communes and Ludwig van Beethoven, of whom the story is examined that he was born in Zutphen. A biographical sketch is given for each composer, followed by the plot summaries of those operas by his or her hand of which music survived. These plots are followed by a discussion of the work and a discography. The CDs in and around the book contain highlights from almost all the works discussed.
Opera of the month
BEETHOVEN/NIEUWENHUIZEN: VESTAS FEUER
In June 2022, 401 Dutch Operas presented a try-out (with reduced orchestra) of the torso of Beethoven's first opera, Vestas Feuer, as reconstructed by Cees Nieuwenhuizen. Vestas Feuer was composed in 1803 on a libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, librettist of Die Zauberflöte! It is an exciting adventure story full of miraculous escapes and with outstanding music. Including two world premieres of completely unknown Beethoven opera arias that Nieuwenhuizen reconstructed for us from the never before examined sketches for scenes 2 to 8. We are now looking into possibilities to have a staged world-premiere with full orchestra.
Cees Nieuwenhuizen
On Friday June 10, 2022 401 Dutch Operas and Apollo Ensemble presented the world premiere of the torso of Beethoven's first opera Vestas Feuer, as reconstructed for 401DutchOperas by Cees Nieuwenhuizen. The question about Beethovens place in the 401 DutchOperas compendium is answered in that book, which will be published at the end of 2022/beginning of 2023 in the DATO series of publisher Lecturis. More important than the rumour that Beethoven was born in Zutphen, is the fact that Dutch composer Cees Nieuwenhuizen reconstructed Vestas Feuer for 401DutchOperas, including completely unknown sketches for scenes 2 to 8. The world premiere took place in Zutphen, June 10, 2022, with Barbara Schilstra (Volivia), Renate Arends (Sericia), Sartagones (Marcel Reijans), Timothy Veryser (Malo), Nanco de Vries (Porus) & Apollo Ensemble.
DUTCH OPERA IN THE FRENCH THEATRE THE HAGUE 1751-1790
On Sunday May 13, 2018, 401DutchOperas and the Dutch Music Institute (NMI) organize a concert with forgotten operas of composers at the court of stadhouder William V in The Hague, composed for the French theater there in the period 1751-1793. Among the sloists are mezzo soprano Barbara Kozelj, soprano Elise Caluwaerts, tenor Marcel Reijans, Dutch baritone Hans de Vries, violin player Rémy Baudet, hobo player Martin Stadler, cellist Saskia van der Wel and harpsichordist/arranger Albert-Jan Roelofs. The young talent ensemble of Music Academy The Hague with supervisor Peter le Feber will give several on location performances in the Hague and Amsterdam with modern arrangements.
401Concerts 10 De Nieuwe KHL (CvdM)
On january 14, 2018, 401Concerts 10 presented a spectacular programme in De Nieuwe KHL in Amsterdam, the monumental former coffee lounge of the Lloyd's personel. Behind the present day café-restaurant with French and exotic kitchen lies hidden a fantastic Jugendstil concert hall. Heldentenor Hendrik Vonk, soprano Barbara Schilstra and pianist Wolter Willemsen perfomed there arias & duets from Dutch operas 1852-1931. Besides Hendrik's Heldentenor repertoire there is a sneak preview into our upcoming Jan Brandts Buys Festival of September 19-21 in Zutphen. This includes highlights of his operas Hero und Leander (1929) and Ulysses (1931). Our fieldwork in the Royal Collection is presented by Le roi de boheme (1852) of court composer Charles van der Does.
Gerard von Brucken Fock: Jozal (Opera o/t Month)
Gerard von Brucken Fock was one of the most remarkable composers that ever graced the Netherlands. He is best known for his wonderful piano music and his songs, but his true master piece is the unperformed opera Jozal from 1912. It is both unique and extreme in text and music, it is a mesmerizing, bewildering and highly individual opera. On Saturday November 18 highlights of Jozal were performed by Heldentenor Hendrik Vonk, soprano Barbara Schilstra, baritone Frits Muusse and pianist Wolter Willemsen. Location: Old Church, Keizerstraat 8, Scheveningen, Netherlands.
Hendrik Andriessen: De Spiegel uit Venetië (1967)
Hendrik Andriessen: The Mirror from Venice (1967)
On 26-27 september 2017 Haarlem Opera and Andriessen/De Klerk Foundation realized the very first scenic performance of Hendrik Andriessens television opera The Mirror from Venice. A comedy revolving around composer Dirk Sweelinck who wants to teach a lesson to castle lord P.C. Hooft and his gathering at Muiden Castle, including Hooft's wife. All this because Sweelinck (the son of) is irritated that they never took him serious until he suddenly became famous in Italy.
401Concerts 4 (Composers v/d Maand)
18 December 2016, 401Concerts 4 live from the OBA Concert Hall The Hague, with opera arias & duets from the archives of the Nederlands Muziek Instituut. Soprano Barbara Schilstra, tenor Hendrik Vonk, bass-baritone Andreas Goetze and the 401DutchOpera Choir under Frits Muusse and pianist Wolter Willemsen shall perform arias and duets from Cornelis Dopper's De blinde van Casteel Cuillé (1894), Willem Landré's De roos van Dekama (1896), Daniël de Lange's Lioba (1906), Jan van Gilse’s Helga von Stavern (1911), Gerard von Brucken Fock's Jozal (1912), Emile von Brucken-Focks Seleneia (1914), Julius Röntgen's De lachende Cavalier (1918), Jan Brandts Buys’ Die Schneider von Schönau (1916) and Richard Hageman's Caponsacchi (1932). A unique programme with modern day creations. Caponsacchi is the only Dutch opera ever performed at the Metropolitan Opera New York. Lioba is on text by the celebrated Dutch author Frederik van Eeden, De roos van Dekama is after Jacob van Lennep. Röntgen and Dopper are composers known from the golden balustrade of the Concertgebouw. The Helga von Stavern and Jozal duets are absolute world premières! Downloadable from december 20.
FROM MOZART TO BRANDTS BUYS in DE NIEUWE KHL
On Sunday 29 april De Nieuwe KHL Amsterdam presented a preview of our three main 2018 projects. Sopranos Esmée van Nieuwenhuizen and Gina de Jong of Music Academy The Hague brought a preview of our Dutch Royal Court Opera in Mozart times with arias by Colizzi, baron Gottfried van Swieten and Mozart. Dutch late romanticism was presented with Jan van Gilse’s Helga von Stavern (1911), sung by soprano Barbara Schilstra and baritone Hans de Vries. A preview of our Jan Brandts Buys Festival in september featured arias & duets from Hero und Leander (1919), Der Eroberer (1921) and Ulysses (1931). Jan ten Bokum played romantic piano pieces by the composer. All related to our first official cd-release, a studio recoridng of Jan Brandts Buys' opera Micarême, also presented here.
MC van de Rovaart: Liefde (1895 Opera vd Maand)
In Liefde (Love) Marinus Cornelis van de Rovaart proves himself to be a composer of cery tuneful music with influences of folk song, operette and opéra comique. In the song from Love, 'Hoort een krijger staat voor de deur' (Hear this warrior, he stands before the door), a soldier asks a girl if he can come in, since he has to go to war and is not sure if he will come back. This lovely aria was performed at 401Concerts 10, together with an excerpt from Van de Rovaart's opera Der verwunschene Prinz. Soloists are Heldentenor Hendrik Vonk, soprano Barbara Schilstra and pianist Wolter Willemsen
Gerard von Brucken Fock (Composer of the Month November 2017)
Gerard von Brucken Fock was one of the most remarkable Dutch composers of all. He was financially independent yet tried to give away his fortune, he attempted divorce his wife to preserve their love and travelled through Europe for the Salvation Army, playing salvation songs on a barrel organ. His master piece is the as yet unperfomred opera Jozal from 1912. On Saturday November 18 highlights of Jozal will be performed by Heldentenor Hendrik Vonk, soprano Barbara Schilstra, baritone Frits Muusse and pianist Wolter Willemsen. Location: Oude Kerk (Old Church), Keizerstraat 8, Scheveningen (Netherlands). Begins at 3 PM. Free entrance (voluntary contribution).
Hendrik Andriessen (componist v/d maand sept 2017)
In the wake of the revival of Hendrik Andriessens De spiegel uit Venetië (The mirror of Venice) we have made the father of Jurrian & Louis Andriessen our Composer of the Month. There is also special attention for his first opera, Philomela, which we will shortly add to our downlaod programme, along with the 1967 recording of The mirror of Venice.
Daniël de Lange: Lioba (Opera van de maand)
Daniël de Lange: Lioba (1906)
In the wake of 401Concerts 4 in the OBA Concert Hall The Hague (Spui), December 18 2016, our opera of the month is Daniël de Lange's dramatic scène Lioba (1906). De Lange envisioned Lioba as his ulimate masterpiece, which could no longer be a mere formula work as his youth-opera The Fall of Kuilenburg. Lioba was crafted along the highest possible artistic standards. The text was a selection from the famous scène by Frederic van Eeden and unexpectedly old De Lange manifested himself as a revolutionary (anti-)dramatic composer alongside, say, Satie!! The premières in The Hague and elsewhere met with public acclaim but, except for one, the reviews were among the most devastating ones in all Dutch musical history. De Lange's colleague 'composer-critics' either did not understand him or they had some scores to settle with him. Either way, they were effective: nothing more was heard of Lioba until the intimate introduction was revived at 401Concerts 3. This beautiful piece prompted us to bring the apex of the duet between Sancolf and Lioba in 401Concerts 4, with Barbara Schilstra as Lioba and Hendrik Vonk as Sancolf. Download from 20 December onwards.
Further reading </p
