Hearing new works which challenge our point of view is one of life’s joys. This was the case for London Sinfonietta’s concert at the Concertgebouw earlier this week. Voices by Hans Werner Henze is a work the Sinfonietta premiered in 1974 conducted by the composer himself. Fifty-two years later and now in the capable hands of Christian Karlsen, the German composer’s desire for beauty to stand as a metaphor for a better society was welcomed with open arms by the Amsterdam audience in a surprisingly engaging and even entertaining manner. Why had I not come across this work before?
The programme
The Henze protest songs
Voices is a collection of 22 songs for mezzo-soprano and tenor lasting 90 minutes, 16 of which were performed on Saturday. Using contemporary poems or texts, each reflects Henze’s own political thinking. Each is a protest song, and each is written by a man. Some may argue that this is purely a reflection of 1970s society, however, others may have an alternative view, hence Holland Festival’s joint decision to include three new protest songs by three young women, heard after the interval. Gender aside, the sheer breadth, complexity and variety of styles on offer in Henze’s masterpiece was both astounding and a feat in itself. He asks the 15 musicians to play 70 different instruments, including water-filled wine glasses, a transistor playing tape-recorded noise of a baseball game, sheets of metal which are punched using boxing gloves, variously coloured popping balloons lifted high and a piano full of marbles.
One of the most chilling numbers took the words of the late Vietnamese communist leader Ho Chi Minh. Mezzo soprano Carina Vinke set the bar for the afternoon’s explicit storytelling, depicting fear and the remorseless reality of prison life, aided by extended piano techniques and much foot-stomping.
A diverse mix
And as we continued, an array of diverse texts unfolded, juxtaposing objects and subject matter previously unworthy of inclusion in a song cycle. Captain America ‘tearing his panties’ amidst discussion of ‘bad breath’ and ‘bad teeth’, and Cowboys and Indians ‘vomiting shit’ accompanied by maracas. Even a humble ‘portion of bread’ alongside Kurt Weill’s distinctive syncopated bass pedal notes, and American Wild West ‘Yeh-ha’s!’ accompanied by a screaming Eb clarinet, all found voice.
With the percussion’s versatility and skill explicitly enhancing Carina Vinke and Christopher Gillet’s delivery, the final song Das Blumenfest transported us to a magical Shakespearean realm full of dancing nymphs and sumptuous harmonies. Taking his time, Karlsen skilfully allowed the complex storytelling to sink in. This was not just good, it was very good.
New co-commissions
To counter all the male-generated texts of the first half, three new co-commissions gave voice to three young, female composers. To start, London-based Nigerian-born Klein whose Siren was an extensive exploration of police sirens, and to conclude, American composer Nathalie Joachim’s rather upbeat M anvi chante peyi m, more a soul-based ballad which may well be the nearest thing to popular music the Sinfonietta has ever tread. However, it was Dutch Israeli Karmit Fadael’s protest song My memories are louder than your missiles, based on words written by another male – Palestinian medic Ezzideen Shehab, which struck the hardest chord. Enclosed within a Perspex cage, Nora Fischer recited his text whilst painting dripping red streaks which morphed into the message ‘Not in our name’. Shehab’s words and Fadael’s exquisite setting variously drew parallels between the horrors of the Holocaust and violence today. His poignant text spoke the unspoken:
‘I have seen men curse God
And I have seen God…
Say nothing.
[…]
‘And if God watches, let him bear witness.
For if He is silent now, then one day He must speak.’
Hildur Guðnadóttir recreates Chernobyl
This questioning of God’s presence continued as I travelled north to Amsterdam’s Gashouder. Surrounded by cheering football fans eagerly celebrating the flurry of goals as the Netherlands asserted its superiority over Sweden in the World Cup qualifiers, Faedel’s question still lingered. Hildur Guðnadóttir, Holland Festival’s Associate Artist casually joined colleagues (sadly minus Sam Slater) for a live recreation of her soundtrack to the 2019 HBO mini-series Chernobyl. Everything felt alarmingly real. In contrast to Monday’s performance with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, this creation was a total assault on all the senses. The music, so loud, they handed out ear plugs. The flashing strobe lights so intense, many had to cover their eyes and some left early. The vibrations so intense, your body literally shook. The Gashouder as a venue surpassed all expectations, yet the questions posed earlier still remained: Is God actually listening? And if so, why do horrors persist?
A lot to think about in just one day.
Clare attended the Holland Festival on Saturday 20th June, 2026
The London Sinfonietta concert was broadcast live on NPO Podium Klassiek and is available via this link
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