Composer of the month
FROM VONDEL 1685 TO THE DUTCH FRENCH ERA 1812 • 26 APRIL 2020
On Sunday 26 April 401DutchOperas and the Nederlands Muziek Instituut will give a unique concert with the long lost operas of the Amsterdam Opera School 1685-1710 (Hendrik Anders, David Petersen, Servaes de Koninck and Elias Brönnemuller), the first Haarlem opera in Paris (Johan Mulligens Acajou from 1773), the first Frisian opera (Jean des Communes’ opera Het dorp in het gebergte from 1812) and a try-out of two pieces from the unknown opera Vestas Feuer from the Zutphen born composer… Beethoven! With tenor Denzil Delaere, soprano Jolien De Gendt, baritone Hans Voschezang, mezzo Sarah Konig, soprano Gina de Jong and tenor Hugo Kampschreur. Camerata Delft is the chamber ensemble, Pieter Dhoore pianist.
26 April 2020, Oud-Katholieke Parochiekerk, Juffrouw Idastraat 7, Den Haag (NL).
Opera of the month
GOVERT BIDLOO/VONDEL: FAËTON (1685) • 26 APRIL, DEN HAAG
Vondel was the most famous Dutch playwright of the 17th Century. Yet by 1663 Amsterdam City Theatre director Jan Vos thought his work outdated and he refused to mount Vondel's Faëton. it was finally performed there posthumously in 1685, when new director Govert Bidloo gave it disguised as an... opera! To pull this off he had personally added an hour of text and anonymously composed music to the play, turning it into a Lully-like opera. The five authentic dances and arias preserved in the Nederlands Muziek instituut have been made perfromance ready by Andy Clark for our 26 April 2020 concert 'From Vondel 1685 to the Dutch French Era 1812'. Camerata Delft is our chamber ensemble. Vocalists are Denzil Delaere (Spring), Gina de Jong (Summer), Sarah Konig (Autumn) and Hans Voschezang (Winter).
26 april 2020, Oud-Katholieke Parochiekerk, Juffrouw Idastraat 7, Den Haag.
Floris van Bergeijk: Electric flute
SPANGA'S ELECTRIC FLUTE
In a coproduction with the Oranjewoud Festival the experimental Opera Spanga ensemble now brings Electric Flute by Floris van Bergeijk/W.A. Mozart. In this electrifying "remix" popsingers, electric guitars, operasingers and orchestra players attack each other in search of love, revenge and power. 401DutchOperas is of course the first to bring this electrifying remix in pictures and sound by means of slide shows and a video trailer!
Misha Mengelberg: Cows
The Ukrainian-Dutch composer Micha Mengelberg (of ao Reconstructie 1969) was working on the opera Koeien (Cows) when Alzheimer prevented him from finishing it. The opera was completed by Guus Janssen, Cherry Duyns, Han Bennink and others. They made it an opera from and about Mengelberg! Premiere 9/10 June Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam.
Karel Miry: Bouchard d'Avesnes
MIRY: BOUCHARD D'AVESNES (1864)
On March 2, 2014, Karel Miry's legendary Flemish grand opéra Bouchard d'Avesnes wasperformed in Koninklijk Muziekconsevatorium Gent, Belgium. Lyrica Gent braught an impressive ensemble with Placido Domingo adept tenor Daniel Astorga Fonseca, Jolien de Gendt, Paul Claus and many others. Now, in April 2015, we hope to soon be able to finally offer excerpts of this stunning opera as video/audio downloads. Bouchard d'Avesnes will also feature in our first ever 401DutchOperas concert of April 26, 2015, in Hoog-Keppel.
RICHARD HAGEMAN
Richard Hageman
Composer of the Month is Richard Hageman, who had an amazing American career as a composer of songs and film music. he also wrote an opera, Caponsacchi. Hageman was arguably the most successful Dutch composer since Sweelinck, and yet... completely forgotten in The Netherlands. Find out why in his full English language biography.
Caponsacchi
Richard Hageman's opera Caponsacchi met with great success when premiered in Weimar, 1934. A broadcast of a German performance was broadcast in the USA, where the opera was finally premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 1937. It was and is the only opera by a Dutch composer ever to be performed there.
Reinbert de Leeuw
Reinbert de Leeuw
On Sunday, September 8, Reinbert de Leeuw turned 75. We celebrate his birthday with a massive retrospect including his operas Reconstructie, Axel, and the world premieres he conducted at DNO.
Martijn Padding: Laika (2014)
From 3 to 8 juni 2014 Martijn Paddings opera Laika was premiered at the Holland Festival Amsterdam. Laika deals with a television host who breaks down over viewer statstics and wants to join the floating first man and dog in space, Juri Gagarin and Laika. ARTICLE IN ENGLISH!
Karel Miry
KAREL MIRY
Flemish composer Karel Miry (1823-1889) played a crucial role in the rise of Flemish music. Except the Flemish hymn, he also composed a number of grand opéras operas, among them such legendary titles as Charles Quint en Bouchard d'Avesnes. Charles Quint was performed by Lyrica Gent in 2013. By 2014 they presented Bouchard d'Avesnes , which presented Miry at the peak of his art. Both operas will have a part in the first even 401DutchOperas live concert of April 26, 2015, in Hoog_keppel. In addition we will peform an excerpt of The poet and his Ideal. Miry's biography:
WAGENAAR: DE SCHIPBREUK
On February 8 and 9, 2014, Johan Wagenaar's De Schipbreuk was performed in Amsterdam, with Francis van Broekhuizen, Mark Omvlee, and Sinan Vural. We filmed the performance and published the entire performance on the pages devoted to this delightful little opera.
Reinbert de Leeuw: Reconstructie
Opera of the Month is the notorious masterpiece Reconstructie from 1969. This amazing work redefined classical music in The Netherlands with a big bang. Reinbert de Leeuw was co-composer.
