Composer of the month
BEETHOVEN BY CEES NIEUWENHUIZEN
On Friday June 10, 2022 401 Dutch Operas and Apollo Ensemble present the world premiere of the torso of Beethoven's first opera Vestas Feuer, as reconstructed by Cees Nieuwenhuizen. Location: Beethoven Festival Zutphen. The question what Beethoven does in the 401 Dutch Operas 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 actually born in Zutphen, is perhaps the fact that Dutch composer Cees Nieuwenhuizen reconstructed Vestas Feuer for 401DutchOperas, including completely unknown sketches for scenes 2 to 8. The world premiere will take place in Theater De Hanzehof in Zutphen, Friday evening June 10, 2022 at 8.45 pm. With Barbara Schilstra (Volivia), Renate Arends (Sericia), Sartagones (Marcel Reijans), Timothy Veryser (Malo), Nanco de Vries (Porus) & Apollo Ensemble. After the intermission, the Apollo Ensemble accompanies plays Beethoven's Egmont, staged (!), with soprano Renate Arends.
10 JUNE 2020, Buitensocieteit De Hanzehof, Zutphen.
Opera of the month
BEETHOVEN/NIEUWENHUIZEN: VESTAS FEUER • 10 JUNI 2022
On Friday June 10, 2022 401 Dutch Operas and Apollo Ensemble present the world premiere of the torso of Beethoven's first opera, Vestas Feuer, as reconstructed by Cees Nieuwenhuizen. Venue is the Beethoven Festival Zutphen. 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 from the sketches for scenes 2 to 8. The world premiere will take place in Theater De Hanzehof in Zutphen, Friday evening June 10, 2022 at 8.45 pm. With Barbara Schilstra (Volivia), Renate Arends (Sericia), Sartagones (Marcel Reijans), Timothy Veryser (Malo), Nanco de Vries (Porus) & Apollo Ensemble. After the intermission, the Apollo Ensemble plays Beethoven's Egmont, staged (!), with soprano Renate Arends.
10 JUNE 2020, Buitensocieteit De Hanzehof, Zutphen.
401Concerts 2 Vlaamse opera highlights
401Concerts Nr. 2
François-Auguste Gevaert
François-Auguste Gevaert
Remembered mostly as director of the Brussels Conservatory and for his theoretical publications, François-Auguste Gevaert is slowly regaining some of his former stature as as a composer. In 2015 the Brussels Conservatory performed his Offenbach-like opera Le capitaine Henriot (preserved by us on film) and we present highlights from his most famous opera, Quentin Durward, sung by baritone Joris Grouwels and soprano Pauline Lebbe. 401DutchOperas released the video as download under 401Concerts Nr. 2.
Gevaert: Quentin Durward
Gevaert: Quentin Durward
Gevaert's opera Quentin Durward was premiered at the Paris Opéra-Comique in 1858. It spread to Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Switserland and The Netherlands. On a libretto by Eugène Cormon & Michel Carré after Walter Scott, the opera is considered Gevaert's masterpiece. We filmed these highlights at the concert of Joris Grouwels and Pauline Lebbe in Museum Vleeshuis, Antwerp. They are a valuable extension of the currently available repertoire from the Opéra-Comique of those days and available for download under 401Concerts Nr. 2.
Limnander van Nieuwenhove
The Flemish composer Armand Limnander van Nieuwenhove conquered Paris in 1847 with his opéra-comique Les Monténégrins. Meyer- beer respected him, Auber copied him, yet his name fell into complete oblivion. Recently soprano Pauline Lebbe sang an aria from De Nieuwenhove's opéra-comique Le Maître-Chanteur from 1853 (post Wagner's work renamed into Maximilien à Francfort). 401DutchOperas was there to capture this precious moment on film.UNIQUE VIDEO DUTCH OPERA ARIAS CONCERT
The video and audio downloads of the April 26, 2015, 401DutchOperas Concert are now available here. They include stunning performances of arias and duets from Dutch and Flemish operas. Participating are soprano Jolien De Gendt, tenor Denzil Delaere, and pianist Pieter Dhoore. Performed were duets and arias from operas by Ten Cate, Van Bree, Von Brucken-Fock, Brandts-Buys, Eckert, Lilien, Jan Rijken, Harry Mayer, De Pauw, and Miry.Martijn Padding (1956)
In June 2014, Dutch composer Martijn Padding (1956) presented his second opera, Laika. He then became composer of the month June.
Jan van Gilse: Helga von Stavern
Jan van Gilse: Helga von Stavern
Because of his opera Thijl (1940) Jan van Gilse now counts as The Netherlands's most important opera composer but he would not find recognition until 35 years after his tragic death in 1944. His first opera Helga von Stavern failed to make it to any stage because of the bizarre Marxist-political libretto. 401Concerts 4 (18 December 2016 in the OBA Concert Hall The Hague - Spui) will bring the reprise of Helga's monologue 'Ist es denn wahr?', in which the Götterdämmerung Brünnhilde blends with Elektra. Additionally we will bring the world premiere of the final duet between Haron and Helga, with bass-baritone Andreas Goetze and soprano Barbara Schilstra. Helga's monologue from the earlier concert is available in the creation of Jolien De Gendt via 401Concerts 3 download. The creations of Schilstra and Goetze shall be made available as 401Concerts 4 download from December 20 onwards.
Vlaams Opera Symposium
In December 2015 a special symposium on past and future of Flemish operas was organized in the Ghent Opera, focusing the rise of Flemish opera in 1840 to the fin de siècle works by Jan Blockx, Emiel Wambach and Paul Gilson. Lecturers were Adelheid Ceulemans, Jan Dewilde and Johanna Ferket. Following a panel discussed the sense or nonsense of reviving the best operas of Blockx, Wambach or Paul Gilson today. This resulted in a heated discussion!
Ignace Lilien • Beatrijs
Polish-Dutch composer Ignace Lilien (1867-1943) scored one of the greatest successes in Dutch operatic history, with Beatrijs (1928). We wil perform some of its most impressive excerpts at the very first 401DutchOperas live concert of April 26, 2015, in Hoog-Keppel. Among these excerpts the exuberant central duet Beatrijs–Gratiaan stands out.
G.F. de Pauw: Bellida (1897)
Gustaaf Francies de Pauw
Dutch composer Gustaaf Francies de Pauw (1867-1943) composed but one opera, in 1897: Bellida. With the unique 2003/2004 revival now being opera of the month, we made De Pauw composer of the month February. Bellida also features in our first ever 401DutchOperas live concert of April 26, 2015, in Hoog-Keppel, where Flemish tenor Denzil Delaere shall sing the Act I aubade of Bertino, 'Le mai sur le charmille'.
Arnoud Noordegraaf: As Big As The Sky
In his opera As Big As The Sky which mixes traditional Kunqu opera and Wagnerian late romantic, Dutch composer Arnoud Noordegraaf investigates the clash of cultures between East and West, tradition and avant garde, romanticism and reality. With decors by Ai Weiwei.
