Programme notes Opening Night 2024

Pop, classical, experimental? The Scottish composer Anna Meredith knows no bounds. In fact, her music has been heard in clubs, commercials, films, galleries and even petrol stations.

Nautilus has been described as ‘the soundtrack to a panic attack’, mainly because of the strange feeling that emerges about three minutes in, when the rhythm turns out to be very different from what the listener had thought.

That’s exactly what’s made this exciting music a favourite with the directors of the Netflix series Living with Yourself, the Lady Gaga documentary Five Foot Two and Bo Burnham’s film Eighth Grade.

The waltzes from Richard Strauss’s comic opera Der Rosenkavalier suddenly transport us to a royal court in Vienna, complete with all the trappings: love, intrigue, bewilderment, men in disguise, duelling rivals and the notion that all’s well that ends well.

Der Rosenkavalier was much more light-hearted than the music audiences were used to from Strauss. It was a huge success, and the composer immediately set about stringing together the graceful waltzes from the opera for concert performances like tonight’s.

Anyone who’s ever been to the Efteling haunted house knows this music. It’s the ultimate fate of every mortal. Death will come for each of us – rich or poor, young or old. And then we must dance. After twelve chimes heard in the harp, Death plays devilish music on his violin. More and more of the dead rise. Much merrymaking follows. The poor wheelwright dances with the baroness. The king frolics alongside a peasant in a round dance. And when the xylophone plays, we hear the rattling of bones. Then the rooster crows, and it’s all over. The tombs fall shut, and Death plays one last lonely farewell melody.

Joey Roukens is one of today’s most successful Dutch composers, and the Concertgebouw Orchestra loves performing his music. Temptation is from his ‘dance thriller’ Dorian, a contemporary hip-hop ballet premiered last year which is all about the fear of old age and the search for eternal youth.

Dorian is at a nightclub. A seductive tango spins out of control, and as we dance, we descend into his mind, where we find youth and innocence. But these are no more than sweet memories. Dorian’s dance dream turns into a bad trip.

The Mexican composer Arturo Márquez incorporates all sorts of musical styles from his native country in his work. The danzón is a form of dance music originating in Cuba but came to prominence in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Danzón No. 2 is brimming with rhythmic surprises and fantastic solos. The work has become so popular that many Mexicans think of it as their second national anthem.

In 2021, sor (Rosario Mussendijk) surprised friend and foe alike with his very personal triple album Bae Doven. The title recalls the name of Beethoven, the composer who triumphed over deafness through his fierce, innovative music. With his own strength of will, sor, too, has learned to cope with his hearing problems.

sor mixes hip-hop and classical music, but also R&B and jazz, as in ‘Voor mij’. Love and hope are the main themes of ‘Zo zijn’, while in ‘Yuh’, sor settles a score with fakes. Together with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, sor is performing these in new symphonic arrangements.

The modern ballet The Firebird was first performed in Paris in 1910 by the renowned dance company the Ballets Russes. The colourful music made Igor Stravinsky famous overnight. Another composer had originally been asked to write the music, but withdrew because of time constraints. The rest, as they say, is history.

The story: a cruel sorcerer imprisons thirteen beautiful girls, but with the help of the magic firebird, a young prince manages to rescue them.

his programme features the music from the end of the ballet. Enchanted by the firebird, the wizard and his creatures dance a wild, hellish dance, after which the firebird sings them to sleep. The wizard dies, the prisoners are freed, and the prince gets to marry the most beautiful girl.