Dutch NOW Reimagining the concert century world. International research practice among outstanding artists and institu- tions points to a way of working that can Dutch Composers NOW is a collabora- ESSAY BY MASA SPAAN be analyzed as Baricco’s horizontal way of tion between Nieuw Geneco (Dutch CURATOR AND PROGRAM DEVELOPER IN signification. In fact, they are already un- Composers Association), Donemus CLASSICAL AND NEW MUSIC derpinning his ideas. Without seeming to

Publishing, Deuss Music/Albersen, The traditions and conventions associated have completely discarded old-fashioned GLERUM NICHON VMN Dutch Music Publishers Associa- with classical music came into being in the profundity, their programming exposes tion and Buma Cultuur to promote the nineteenth century. Drawing on the pow- ideas, which give the material, that is in- sion. For Fischer, daughter of the conduc- creation of new music. Together we erful and related principles of formalism trinsically musical, a relevant connection tor Ivan Fischer, the classics were always represent the composers living and and musical autonomy, such principles still with the spirit of our times. going to be at the root of her artistry. She working in the ; creators of hold sway over much of today’s classical always knew what she wanted to sing, but both complex and accessible, conven- concert practice. As twenty-first century Taken together, it points to a comprehen- all of the previously carved-out paths tionally as well as unconventionally human beings, this ritual seems to have sive strategy, from idea to audience, in were just not for her, she felt. Making her composed music. In this brochure we become an old-fashioned straitjacket. It which programmers make connections own way has meant constant invention. In show you some adventures in Dutch leads us to ask how the revitalization of with various target audiences on qualita- this project Kliphuis gave space for her music. classical music concerts should be car- tively substantive grounds. And it gives own genre-crossing sound and her all- ried out, and why the issue is now so ur- rise to a far-reaching concert dramatur- round performing skills. Supported by a gent. Belonging to a new wave of post- gy, in which we start with the music but slightly and refined stage direction, the postmodern thinkers, the philosopher and revise and also expand the range of con- program reflects a daring overarching Dutch Composers NOW 2018 musician Alessandro Baricco hypothesizes cert ingredient into a deliberately shaped dramaturgic arch that remains true to the Cover photo WannaPlayground that a profound change, a mutation no ensemble of mutual reinforcing elements. essence of the music, but also connects to Design Seppie Groot less, is taking place in contemporary cul- The resultant determining factors are del- themes of our own living environment, ture. In his book The Barbarians: An Es- icate choices like the programme format, and really gets hold of people. The result www.dutchcomposersnow.nl say on the Mutation of Culture (2006), musical themes, the handling of reper- is a very innovative program that is ap- Baricco examines how information tech- toire, collaboration of program develop- pealing to new audiences, but which is nology is altering the way we experience ers with high-quality creative and com- also very appreciated by classical music the world and its arts. He argues for new municatively talented soloists and lovers. forms of signification, meaning, and val- ensembles, links to other genres and dis- ue, in which the old Romantic “vertical” ciplines, characteristics of the venue, the Of course, this is merely one example ideals of depth and profundity are joined set-up, staging, choreography, and the and there are infinite ways to implement by “horizontal” modes, galvanized by an direction of a concert. To illustrate this I this kind of far-reaching concert drama- ever-broader network in which stories would like to refer to a beautiful Dutch ex- turgy. It shows, once again, that it makes Publishing from different worlds come together and ample of this way of working. Last year sense to reimagine the concert practice shape new concert experiences. the young Morris Kliphuis, li- and create vibrant forward thinking pro- Baricco’s book makes a bold case for the brettist Otto Wichers (a.k.a. Lucky Fonz grams. As renowned intendant Ge- future of our culture. His ideas chart how III), singer Nora Fischer and the Ragazze rard Mortier argues: ‘Real tradition isn’t program developers (curators, musicians, Quartet developed The Secret Diary of consolidated, it consolidates. Tradition composers) can reimagine their concert Nora Plain. The haunting song cycle de- doesn’t mean we have to stay fixed to the practice: how they can create concert picts the intimate and modern life of the rules that were created in the past, but it programs which are true to music, but imaginary Nora Plain through her person- enables us to invent new rules to design which also have a sensibility of today and al diaries and deals with actual themes the future.’ make real connections to our twenty-first like privacy, surveillance and erotic obses- Annelies Van Parys plexity of these differing views as the Usher starting point for this new production. Space Junk CHAMBER OPERA / MUSIC BY CLAUDE Rob Zuidam brings together arrange- ENSEMBLE: ASKO | SCHÖNBERG DEBUSSY / ANNELIES VAN PARYS ments of music from the time of Mary Space Junk by Kate Moore also refers to Since her 2015 opera Private View, based Stuart and music of his own, in which elec- the heavens and universe. However, the on an Alfred Hitchcock film, Belgian com- tronic sounds have a role to play. Zuidam composer approaches the subject from poser Annelies Van Parys has established draws on the sonnets of Joseph Brodsky the ‘space junk’ problem: the environ- her reputation as one of the most inno- about exile and the feeling of being up- mental impact of this waste is enormous. vative composers of contemporary mu- rooted and misunderstood. World Pre- For this work Moore is inspired by an in- sic theatre. Starting with the material miere: 24 May 2018 teractive 3D model that maps out spatial of an uncompleted opera – Debussy left robertzuidam.com / elsandtheartists.be waste left by humans. The work is a swel- behind several libretto drafts, a musical moniquekrus.nl tering harmony of the spheres, but also fragment of about 20 minutes and some the sound of an environmental disaster - sketches – in Usher Van Parys develops a an exciting spatial story told with graphic theatre that probes the The Garden novel techniques. Premières on 3 April category of the uncanny in a specific mu- ENSEMBLE: ASKO | SCHÖNBERG 2019 Minimal Music Festival in Amster- sical and theatrical way. Comissioned by The Garden is Richard Ayres’ newest work dam. Commissioned by Asko | Schönberg Staatsoper Unter den Linden and Folko- commissioned by Asko|Schönberg and with the support of Dutch Performing Arts peran Stockholm, selected for the Fedora . This song cycle tells (NL). katemoore.org / askoschoenberg.nl award. World Premiere on 16 October the story of a man’s dissatisfaction with 2018. staatsoper-berlin.de life, which compels him to start digging Jan-Peter de Graaff anneliesvanparys.com MUNDI IMAGO in his garden to the center of the earth, De Grens Monique Krüs before beginning an equally surrealistic ENSEMBLE: BUT WHAT ABOUT Anne & Zef journey into the heavens. Artist filmmaker The year is 1918: World War I is nearing its CHAMBER OPERA / MUSIC BY MONIQUE KRÜS Martha Colburn, known for her hallucina- end. The German emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm Zef, A 15 year-old Albanian boy is the vic- tory and kaleidoscopic work, creates the II, arrives at the Dutch border as an exile tim of a blood feud. He meets Anne Frank animations for The Garden. Premieres 5 from his own country, seeking asylum in in the afterlife and they find out that they September 2018, Gaudeamus Muziek- the Netherlands. However, the Dutch gov- have a lot in common. Anne loves writing, week in (NL). Commissioned ernment was not notified in advance of the Zef likes to act, both had trouble with their by Asko | Schönberg with the support of Kaiser’s arrival and takes its time to decide parents. They tell each other about their Dutch Performing Arts (NL). whether the royal visitor is welcome. A his- lives and grow more and more fond of richardayres.com / askoschoenberg.nl torical event with a contemporary twist, each other. Monique Krüs gathered fame wrapped into a compact chamber opera: Rob Zuidam as a soprano excelling in ultra-modern In my end is my beginning repertoire, then started composing and CHAMBER OPERA / NEW MUSIC & has since taken up conducting as well. ELECTRONICS: ROB ZUIDAM Currently she composes for the Europe- Mary Stuart: vile murderess or proud an Cultural City Malta and Leeuwarden heroine? Interpretations of the tragic 2018. Commissioned by Netherlands Phil- life of probably Scotland’s most famous harmonic and Opera Spanga monarch (1542-1587) vary widely. In this Performed by Accademia Nazionale di production Rob Zuidam and the musi- Santa Cecilia (Rome), Theater Bielefeld

cians of Imago Mundi take the com- and ISCM World Music Days Beijing 2018. NIEUWENDIJK ADA De Grens is an attractive performance of Janssen and composer Rieteke Hölscher. is silence a condition for a musical storm? 25 to 45 minutes that brings new music Inspired by the “Dutch Light”, Marij Jans- When the arrangers of Calefax are get- close to the audience. The length is flex- sen designed a cloud of people which ting into a score, in a way they are taking a ible because the two scenes can be per- confuses the light and creates strange look inside the head of a composer. When formed separately. Due to its small setup - shadows on the wall. The composer re- composing, sometimes love or madness two singers and five instrumentalists - De acts and interacts with the artwork. Two are playing roles, but also self-assertion Grens can be performed both in concert musical layers - an acoustic and electronic or money worries can be big incentives. halls and on less traditional locations, such - engage in a dialogue with the image. In this program, Calefax is showing the as industrial buildings or living rooms, and By electronically converting instrumental audience how music is being born, is de- even multiple times on the same day. The sounds into sounds of nature like flap- veloping itself and finally is showing itself chamber opera makes use of unique film ping of bird wings, raindrops and stormy in full glory to the world. The pieces of mu- material from 1918, supplemented with weather - a reversed ‘musique concrète’ released during Jukebox in 2019, will be sic will be framed by spoken words, written new footage. was created. First try-out: Saturday May for barok English . It’s about a child by stage director Titus Tiel Groenestege – butwhatabout.nl / janpeterdegraaff.com 19th, Muziekhuis Utrecht. rietekeholscher. in his room, who hears his family having a Calefax worked with him before with great nl / youtube.com/watch?v=W_ZS3hhpfqQ party in the living room. Peter-Jan con- success. Completely in the style of Cal- Rieteke Hölscher siders electronics as a special effect, com- efax, the program exists out of arrange- Disturbing Light Peter-Jan Wagemans parable with computer effects in a movie. ments of (existing) compositions (we are Disturbing Light is an experience in sound ENSEMBLE: DOELENENSEMBLE “You know it’s not possible, but it sounds looking into the heads of Bach, Debussy and image, where a naturally moving in- The based DoelenEnsemble like it’s made on stage.” In the end there’ll and Schumann) but also of a brand new stallation of a cloud of figures is floating brings listeners classical music of the 20th be nine pieces for soloist and electronics. composition, written by dutch composer in the air. Human-like figures pass by in & 21st century. A broad and striking reper- peter-janwagemans.nl , titled Calefactotum. an ever-changing movement, accompa- toire is played within continuously chang- doelenensemble.nl Concerts: December 6, 9 and 16, 2018 nied by acoustic instruments - violin and ing specifications ranging from chamber calefax.nl/projects/in-het-hoofd-van-de- piano - and with the music to large scorings with regular pre- Jan Vriend componist/ sounds of nature, like seagulls, thunder, sentations of theatre music. DoelenEn- Calefactotum waves and wind. While the cloud rotates, semble concerts are of an internation- INSIDE THE HEAD OF A COMPOSER Maxim Shalygin accelerates and slows down, the music ally recognized high standard challenging ENSEMBLE: CALEFAX QUINTET Todos los fuegos el fuego emphasizes the movement as in devel- audiences with new music. Last season How does music originate? Where do ENSEMBLE: OCTET (AMSTEL oping seasons, sometimes sympathetic, included new compositions in different the notes come from? Do composers QUARTET & KEURIS QUARTET) sometimes threatening. Disturbing Light is set-ups and with different collaborations just make up a tune or does the melody For the second chapter of his life-long a co-production of visual designer Marij among , Sarah Kirkland Snider impose itself? Are strong emotions the Similar cycle (where the first one is: Lac- and a new opera from Robin de Raaff. Last breeding space of impassioned music or rimosa or 13 Magic Songs for 7 violins) , year the ensemble invented the Jukebox- Shalygin draws inspiration from Todos concert. The audience is involved, they los fuegos el fuego, arguably the most choose the program of the evening using enigmatic book by the great Cortázar. All an app that presents the actual concert short stories in this collection share an exit in real time! In 2019 Dutch composer into a parallel, magic reality, sometimes Peter-Jan Wagemans will present a new near to ours, sometimes strikingly differ- series of pieces for solo-instrument and ent from it. Their forms provoke peculiar electronics. Peter-Jan: ‘I chose for elec- musical dramaturgic solutions, whereas tronics to put the instrument in a certain an abundance of pseudo-musical forms environment, like in a movie. The solo- enables for the creation of a unique at-

MARIJ JANSSEN MARIJ ist becomes an actor.’ The second piece, JOCHEM SANDERS mosphere, using an enlarged variety Hildegard von Bingen composed superb compositions, such as Monteverdi, Dow- melodies from within the confines of thick land and Bach. In 2016 he composed the monastery walls. The Beatles hits do not striking opera Dijkdrift for Calefax and the deviate from pop music’s conventional singers of Silbersee, inspired by the Maria format. And in composing his brilliant mu- Vespers of Monteverdi. sic, Bach tested the boundaries of what In Dido & Aeneazz, this approach is fur- was viewed as acceptable in his day. Truly ther investigated in collaboration with wonderful things can be created out of trumpetist Eric Vloeimans, bringing his the restrictions laid down by strict rules! seductive and agile trumpet sound to the At Wishful Singing’s request, the compos- musical palette, in this case inspired by ers Joost Kleppe, Aspasia Nasopoulou and the famous opera of Purcell. Lucas Wiegerink sought inspiration from mat which would move them out of the Vloeimans on his turn will compose a cycle Piet Mondrian’s dynamism and play of passive seat of the darkened theatre: they of songs that is commenting to the mythi- of performance techniques. The cycle’s lines. In a musical triptych they shed light developed WannaPlayground. cal story in a typical fresh, light and danc- overall structure consists of eight parts, on the painting Victory Boogie Woogie, The WannaSwing, an installation with ing Vloeimans sound. performed by eight saxophone players – each from his or her own perspective. 12 swings, was released in 2014. Around Next to Vloeimans the band will be com- as many as there are stories in the book. www.wishfulsinging.nl 160.000 active participants already cre- pleted with a rhythm section coming The saxophone is chosen for a reason: it is ated compositions, from among others from Vloeimans’ top band Gatecrash: involved in many mystical moments in mu- Joey Roukens, Willem Jeths and Spinvis. Gulli Gudmundsson (bas) and Jasper van sic, literature, and cinema. As an instru- The WannaSeeSaw is planning to be re- Hulten (drums). ment, it contains a plethora of possibilities leased next summer 2019. The first line Dido and Aeneas is considered as one of to be discovered – more than any other, it up will be new interactive composition by Purcell’s master works and is telling the can play the most silent, subtle, and mys- David Dramm, JacobTV, Wouter Snoei, story about the love between Dido, the terious chorals, at the same time being Brechtje and . queen of Carthago and the Trojan heroe able to churn out furious, at times com- The aim is to give at least one composi- Aeneas, and about Dido’s despair when pletely unearthly sounds. Todos los fuegos tion assignment for each new event so Aeneas is leaving her. Tour: April 11 – May el fuego is a musical cycle that immerses the WannaPlayground repertoire will be 12, 2019

the listener for one hour in a mystical act, DOOMERNIK MERLIJN growing over the years. calefax.nl/en/projects/dido- sparking off the imagination and opening www.wannaplayground.com aeneazz/?noredirect=en_US up unknown emotional conditions. Joey Roukens, Willem Jeths, www.maximshalygin.com Spinvis, David Dramm, JacobTV, Eric Vloeimans, Raaf Hekkema Brechtje, Wouter Snoei, Yannis Dido & Aeneazz Joost Kleppe, Aspasia Kyriakides ENSEMBLE: CALEFAX & ERIC VLOEIMANS AND Nasopoulou, Lucas Wiegerink WannaPlayground FRIENDS Victory! – from Bingen to Boogie “We bring contemporary music of living often has a clear pulse, an ENSEMBLE: WISHFUL SINGING composers to the audience with an inter- intrinsic ‘drive’. It also invites each per- New York, 1944: Piet Mondrian is fever- active playground for adults.” former to give it his own, very personal ishly in search of the ultimate composition Based on years of experience in creat- interpretation, with unexpected melodic of lines and colours. Will the artist let go ing music theatre, opera director Caecilia colouring and spicy chords. That you can of the boundaries he has set for himself Thunnissen and scenographer Jan Boiten benefit from using a contemporary set of as he lives out his final days? Or do they felt the need to find a new way to bring instruments and a totally new approach, is VERSCHUUREN BOWIE in fact provide the ideal framework for the classical music to a broad audience. They something Raaf Hekkema already proved creation of his Victory Boogie Woogie? wanted to involve the spectators in a for- in his unique versions of (early) baroque Five tips by Mayke Nas, : The Book of Sand percussionists who transform the origi- Composer Laureate of the Netherlands (2015) nal dialogue into imaginary percussion. It BY KATE MILLER-HEIDKE AND HET is evocative, it is funny and it makes you chords that pass by in constantly chang- NEDERLANDS KAMERKOOR CONDUCTED BY wonder what the conversation was about. ing inversions. This results in subtle shifts MANOJ KAMPS. It does not just appeal to the player’s in timbre and variations within returning thebookofsand.net imagination, but also the audience’s. New chords. The composition is accompanied Multitalent Michel van der Aa shows his works by Richard Ayres and Kate Moore, by a 3D animation made by Janco Verduin titillating inventiveness in this online, in- commissioned by Asko|Schönberg: an au- himself: a pill form in a slow metamorpho- teractive song cycle. Inspired by the al- ditory and visual experience that excites sis, in which the shadow also transforms. lusions to infinity and the use of mazes the senses and boldly goes where no man and mirrors in the fantastical stories of – or woman – has gone before , he almost invents a Mayke Nas & Wouter Snoei: I Delayed new genre. The viewer and listener can The Garden is Richard Ayres’ newest work People’s Flights By Walking Slowly In find their own way through the narrative commissioned by Asko|Schönberg and Narrow Hallways (2008) of three simultaneous film layers in which London Sinfonietta. This song cycle tells BY SLAGWERK DEN HAAG a young woman collects up sand which the story of a man’s dissatisfaction with vimeo.com/48908822 is being moved between the layers by a life, which compels him to start digging In the famous stage play Self-Accusation mysterious machine. A labyrinthine world in his garden to the center of the earth, (1966) by Peter Handke a first-person full of beautiful images and wonderful before beginning an equally surrealistic narrator puts on the hair shirt. In a sheer music to wander through. journey into the heavens. Artist filmmaker endless enumeration of wrongdoings the Martha Colburn, known for her hallucina- human morality is cool-headedly dis- tory and kaleidoscopic work, creates the sected and exposed. In I Delayed People’s Yannis Kyriakides: Correspondance animations for The Garden. Premieres Flights In Narrow Hallways, Mayke Nas (2015) 5 September 2018, Gaudeamus Muzie- has adapted the idea of Handke’s text into https://vimeo.com/146822516 kweek in Utrecht (NL). a music theatre piece for four perform- Based on the famous correspondence ers rhythmically writing new confessions between and John Cage in Space Junk by Kate Moore also refers to on four blackboards as if they were lines 1949 - 1954 Yannis Kyriakides designed a the heavens and universe. However, the of punishment. Electronic wizard Wouter concept for “Correspondance”. The then composer approaches the subject from Snoei has transformed the contact sounds young composers Boulez and Cage were the ‘space junk’ problem: the environ- on the boards into a rich pallet of elec- equally fascinated by the implications mental impact of this waste is enormous. tronic sounds. of non-traditional playing techniques For this work Moore is inspired by an in- and in search for new forms of structur- & Martijn Padding: teractive 3D model that maps out spatial Janco Verduin: muurverf, papier en ing sound. But during the five years they Gesprek (2012) waste left by humans. The work is a swel- karton op paneel (2015) corresponded theirs paths diverged into BY NIELS MELIEFSTE AND JOEY MARIJS tering harmony of the spheres, but also BY REED QUINTET CALEFAX irreconcilable views on chance and inde- youtube.com/watch?v=kyNqpKvqFvA the sound of an environmental disaster - youtube.com/watch?v=_2BQ5WvikB4 terminacy. Together with a collective of Once they were teacher and pupil, Louis an exciting spatial story told with graphic In 2015 Janco Verduin won the yearly composition students, Yannis developed Andriessen and Martijn Padding, but for novel techniques. Premières on 3 April international composers competition or- the piece with sound material chosen many years now they are colleagues and 2019 Minimal Music Festival in Amster- ganised by Reed Quintet Calefax with from the works mentioned in the letters. It friends. Based on a short private conver- dam. Both works are supported by Dutch his piece inspired by the monochromatic resulted in a piece with an aleatoric form sation between them which they record- Performing Arts (NL). artwork of Dutch artist Jan Schoonhoven. that can sound differently with each new ed, they turned the exchange of personal askoschoenberg.nl Simplicity without any frills. The notes form performance. information into a composition for two Our Composer Delegates

Aspasia Nasopoulou are frequently in- on vocal tral music, children’s (1972) Composer corporated into her music with recitals and others. and pianist. Her score-based practise opera be- music ranges from featuring opera and ing at the Wilbert Bulsink solo instrumental orchestral scores as top of her list. Her (1983) and ensemble pieces well as music for en- opera Anne&Zef has enjoys dis- to dance and vocal sembles and soloists. been performed in covering works and her classi- , Rome, new com- cal background gives Vanessa Lann (New Bielefeld and soon in binations of sounds her work a poetic, York, 1968): Beijing and Albania. and structures in profound and dy- she uses the music. His knowledge namic contemporary repetition Ned McGowan of and experience in expressiveness. of recog- (1970) is a classical and avant- nizable figures, as flutist and garde music, music Praised by the well as structures composer, theatre, pop and New York Times as based on number MARANG MICHEL born in improvisation influ- “especially empow- ratios and patterns, the US. Known for ence his work. He ering”, the music of to explore concepts rhythmical vitality combines new and composer/drummer of continuity, infinity and technical virtu- old ways of listen- Brendan Faegre and silence to place osity, his music has ing to create music (1985, USA) is everyday sounds and won many awards which places a cen- performed at major gestures in unusual and been performed turies old tradition in festivals, includ- contexts. at Carnegie Hall, the a new context. ing Huddersfield, Concertgebouw and ERIC VAN NIEUWLAND VAN ERIC November Music, Maxim Shalygin many other halls and Mayke Nas (1972) Beijing Modern, (1986): His festivals around the enjoys Aspen, and Bang on compo- world. creating

a Can. sitions ROBIN DE PUY music for include Sonja Schwedersky musi- Dutch Australian DER WOERD VAN PAUL chamber, vocal, (1963): her cians breathing composer Kate symphonic, electro- accessible simultaneously, for Moore creates acoustic music, as composi- moving chairs, wired captivating monu- well as music for tions include blackboards and mental works that theatre, ballet and pieces commissioned open bridges. She delve deeply into the film. His works are by both profes- considers herself psychology of sound, drenched with a sional and amateur lucky to have worked memory and sto- spirit and penchant musicians. She with Nieuw Ensem- JOHAN NIEUWENHUIZE JOHAN rytelling. Her works for the transcendent. writes for numerous ble, Asko|Schönberg, involvs acoustic and ensembles, various the Royal Concert- electro-acoustic in- Dutch composer/ instruments and gebouw Orchestra, struments, sculpture, soprano/conduc- such different genres Bl!ndman, Neue Vo- original instruments tor Monique Krüs as voice, opera, calsolisten and other and installation that focusses mainly choral and orches- musical wizards.