Helstone: The Pledge of the Gods
Our performance of Het pand der goden ('The Pledge of the Gods’) on 15 February drew wider attention to the Surinamese composer and musician Johannes N. Helstone. The video of the concert was shown in Paramaribo, and now we’re delighted to be able to share both the video and audio recordings of this unforgettable concert with an even larger audience.
Paramaribo
The video recording of our concert was screened two months afterwards at the National Archives in Paramaribo. A nearly full house was exuberant about the recording of Het pand der goden. Writer and documentary maker Tessa Leuwsha attended, and says it felt like a party:
‘Remember, we hardly ever hear classical music in Surinam! We watched it breathlessly. The audience was moved by the music and the story, and by the performances from the soloists and conductor Otto Tausk. Afterwards, and even in between sections, there was wild applause. Everyone is extremely grateful to the Helstone family, the Concertgebouw Orchestra and the National Archives for making this screening possible. It’s very special to hear and see the performance of music by a Surinamese composer on our own soil.’
Helstone Fonds
The Helstone Fonds (Helstone Fund) was established by Astrid Helstone and Diederik Burgersdijk. Its aim is to finance the performance of works by the Surinamese writer, composer and musician Johannes N. Helstone, his students and other composers from the former colonies, and to increase public awareness of them.
In the next few years, the Concertgebouw Orchestra will accordingly be intensifying its focus on this body of music, as part of its objective to highlight less-well-known and forgotten repertoire.
Would you like to contribute to the Helstone Fonds?
The Foundation Concertgebouworkest welcomes gifts and donations, of any amount.
Bank details:
IBAN: NL10 ABNA 0446758906
in name of: Foundation Concertgebouworkest
Please state ‘Helstone Fonds’ and provide your name and e-mail address
NB: If it is not possible to type the @-sign when using internet banking, replace the @-sign with the letters 'at'.
Paramaribo
The video recording of our concert was screened two months afterwards at the National Archives in Paramaribo. A nearly full house was exuberant about the recording of Het pand der goden. Writer and documentary maker Tessa Leuwsha attended, and says it felt like a party:
‘Remember, we hardly ever hear classical music in Surinam! We watched it breathlessly. The audience was moved by the music and the story, and by the performances from the soloists and conductor Otto Tausk. Afterwards, and even in between sections, there was wild applause. Everyone is extremely grateful to the Helstone family, the Concertgebouw Orchestra and the National Archives for making this screening possible. It’s very special to hear and see the performance of music by a Surinamese composer on our own soil.’
Helstone Fonds
The Helstone Fonds (Helstone Fund) was established by Astrid Helstone and Diederik Burgersdijk. Its aim is to finance the performance of works by the Surinamese writer, composer and musician Johannes N. Helstone, his students and other composers from the former colonies, and to increase public awareness of them.
In the next few years, the Concertgebouw Orchestra will accordingly be intensifying its focus on this body of music, as part of its objective to highlight less-well-known and forgotten repertoire.
Would you like to contribute to the Helstone Fonds?
The Foundation Concertgebouworkest welcomes gifts and donations, of any amount.
Bank details:
IBAN: NL10 ABNA 0446758906
in name of: Foundation Concertgebouworkest
Please state ‘Helstone Fonds’ and provide your name and e-mail address
NB: If it is not possible to type the @-sign when using internet banking, replace the @-sign with the letters 'at'.