Welcome to this, the 2nd edition of Clare’s Musical Choices focusing on some of the best music on offer in East Netherlands and further afield. May 2023 has already been a wonderful month for music, ranging from King Charles III’s Coronation in Westminster Abbey and The King’s Concert in the grounds of Windsor Castle, to the Netherlands Wind Ensemble in Enschede’s Wilminktheater encouraging us to dance in the aisles to a selection of Jamaican reggae and ska music, and the Vienna Philharmonic who gave an memorable performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 with the Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša, recently appointed Music Director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
We have also been treated to a programme of English and Baltic choral music from the Amsterdam Sinfonietta and the Netherlands Chamber Choir, which had yours truly literally swinging high in the sky before their performance in the Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam last Friday. This amazing set of swings overlooking the harbour entrance to the old city, plays music as you swing. Attending music concerts in the Netherlands is so much fun!
Well, here is a small selection of what is on offer for the rest of May, both near and far. You may not be able to get to any of these concerts. Do not worry! Below, you will find lots of links to video and recordings to whet your appetite, and perhaps even introduce you to some music and artists you may not have heard of before. Some of this music is certainly new to me! The harder you look, the more you find!
As usual, do let me know if you are organising a concert which you you would like to be considered for inclusion. Enjoy!
Jazz
Dutch Student Jazz Orchestra – SHOWTIME 2023!
Saturday 20th May | 20:30 | Hertog Jan Zaal, Metropool, Enschede | Tickets
Dutch Student Jazz Orchestra (NSJO) is made up of 30 young musicians aged between 18 and 26 who come together twice a year, to bring jazz to cities all over the country in an innovative, young and above all, appealing way. They want to party!
This May, they are revisiting the different musical styles from their previous nine tours, with everything from jazz to disco, soul to funk, so literally something for everyone.
Soloists will include Jordan Ray, the 2011 runner-up in the Dutch version of X-Factor.Click below to hear a track from their 2019 tour
Classical | Film Music | Jazz
Brad Mehldau and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra
Wednesday 24th May | 20:15 | Tivoli Vredenburg, Utrecht | Tickets |
Saturday May 20th | 20:15 | Concertgebouw | Tickets
Philip Glass Symphony No. 3
Jonny Greenwood There Will Be Blood Suite (Part 1)
Brad Mehldau Improvisation for piano
Brad Mehldau Concerto for piano and orchestra
Brad Mehldau is a new find for me and I must say, I very much like what I hear. He is an American, Grammy Award winning jazz pianist who has recorded and performed extensively since the 1990s. Interestingly, as well as composing and working extensively with his own jazz trio, he has also collaborated with a number of classical musicians, notably writing and performing song cycles for the American soprano Renée Fleming, the Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter (who has also collaborated with Elvis Costello on the 2001 album For The Stars), and the British tenor Ian Bostridge, more commonly known for singing Schubert Lieder and Britten songs.
Listen to: Brad Mehldau Plays the Beatles | Your Mother Should Know | 2023
Listen to: And I Love Her, an arrangement of the Beatles number from Mon Chien Stupide (My Dog Stupid) and a film score composed by Mehldau. Fun fact regarding this concert, Mehldau’s film score also features a solo piano rendition of Radiohead’s Paranoid Android – perhaps some mutual respect there even before this concert.
Jonny Greenwood | There Will Be Blood Suite No. 1
This concert on May 24th also features some rather beautiful film music from the Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood from the 2007 film There Will Be Blood starring Daniel Day-Lewis, so beautiful in fact, it was nearly nominated for an Oscar, but just missed out as Greenwood included extracts from Avro Pärt’s Fratres for Cello and Piano, and Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D. Subsequent film score hits include Norwegian Wood, based on the novel by Haruki Murakami, and We Need To Talk About Kevin.
Enjoy listening to this extract from the score : Oil
Dance | Ballet | Hip-Hop
Dorian | ISH Dance Collective in collaboration with Dutch National Ballet
Thursday 25th May | Wilminktheater, Enschede | Tickets
Based on an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s 1891 novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, this production from choreographers Ernst Meisner and Marco Gerris is a fusion of dance styles: merging hip-hop and ballet and all set to a score by the young Dutch composer, Joey Roukens. With dancers from the Dutch National Ballet also participating in this production, this is a most interesting choice for serious lovers of dance.
Classical | Popular
The King’s Singers | Songbird
Friday 26th May | FB Oranjewoud Pavilion, Friesland | Tickets
The Oranjewoud Festival is a festival set in the fairy-tale Oranjewoud parkland near Heerenveen (Friesland) with an eclectic mix of music on offer over the four day Pentecost weekend, from May 26th – 29th. Everything from the the King’s Singers to the Rastrelli Cello Quartet playing film music from Pirates of the Caribbean on May 28th, to pianist Salih Can Gevrek performing an all Rachmaninov programme.
The King’s Singers are one of the finest a cappella groups in the world. Originally formed in 1968, when six choral scholars from King’s College, Cambridge gave a concert at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, they are still together over 50 years later, albeit with a slightly different line up. This programme is wonderful mix of easy listening and popular music, some well known classical numbers.
The King’s Singers’ Songbird programme:
Watch a video of The King’s Singers | The Rose
Listen to: When You Wish Upon a Star from Pinocchio
And listen to: an arrangement of Billy Joel’s And So It Goes arr. Bob Chilcott
Recent Reviews by Clare Varney:
Through the looking glass: Amsterdam Sinfonietta are a class act at the Muziekgebouw
The Cottage, Amsterdam: Service most definitely with a smile
The King’s Coronation | My favourite musical moments
Alexei Ogrintchouk appointed new Chief Conductor of Phion
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This is not a sponsored article. I have received no payment for this post and all views are my own.
