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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
