Highlights

Music is not a competition. But if points were awarded, the overwhelmingly beautiful String Quartet No. 14 Op. 131 by Ludwig van Beethoven would probably end up very high. Especially if performed by one of the top quartets of our time, the Belcea Quartet. Tonight, the Belcea Quartet pairs the established mastery of Beethoven with Schönberg’s early String Quartet No. 1, a work that would propel him to become the champion of atonality.

Schönberg’s 1905 quartet consists of one movement of 45 minutes and is written in a late-romantic idiom that recalls the world of Richard Strauss. As an aside, Schönberg himself said that he had learned composing for string quartet from Mozart. Beethoven also chose an unconventional form for his Opus 131, in as many as seven movements. It was Beethoven’s personal favourite out of all his famous late quartets. After a performance of it, Schubert reportedly said: ‘After this, what is left for us to write?’

It doesn’t get more melancholic than the Mondschein Sonata. The most famous piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven is the ultimate romantic masterpiece. It captures the emotions of longing and loneliness and sublimates these into beauty. World-renowned pianist Alice Sara Ott makes her debut at the Muziekgebouw with a recital in which she combines Beethoven with a less well-known contemporary, the Irish composer John Field, of whom she plays a selection from his Nocturnes.

Today, we associate the term ‘nocturne’ first and foremost with Chopin – whose work continues to weave its way through Ott’s discography. But it was John Field who first used the term for a contemplative, melodious piano piece. For her latest album, Ott has recorded all of Field’s Nocturnes; with this, she writes a new chapter in her unique and original oeuvre.

Simpson, Queyras and Aimard are three top musicians who are not afraid of adventure. They join forces for a unique concert with music by the last modernist still alive, Helmut Lachenmann. Fifty years ago, his experimental music was heralded as a thrilling vision of the future. A vision that remains potent for those willing to shed old listening habits. Lachenmann’s mysterious world enchants with nothing more than sound and musical imagination, opening up uncharted realms.

Lachenmann’s music reveals connections and sonic beauty in a wide range of colours, going beyond mere abstract structure. He builds enigmatic, rustling sound palaces that transcend earthly reality, yet provoke contemplation. As in Allegro Sostenuto, the central work of this concert with clear contours and a wide range of timbres for clarinet, cello and piano.

When it comes to today’s classical guitarists, there is one name that stands out: Miloš Karadaglić, a native of Montenegro. Impressive technique, expressive playing style – a virtuoso with a pop star status. He takes famous baroque works by composers like Händel, Vivaldi, Rameau and Purcell and reimagines them for guitar and ensemble. Familiar music, but with a new and contemporary sound. The musician’s hard work has paid off, with record contracts from Sony and Deutsche Grammophon.

Music from a Spanish fandango by Boccherini to the gentle lyricism of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. From contemplative sounds from Rameau’s Les Boréades to a lively concerto grosso by Handel. The English baroque ensemble Arcangelo was founded in 2010. In a short time, the ensemble has built up an impressive reputation, with a string of award-winning recordings. The collaboration with MILOŠ is a match made in heaven and will undoubtedly result in more awards.

Elisabeth Leonskaya hardly needs an introduction. This highly respected and accomplished pianist is now almost 80 years old and has performed with virtually all the great classical musicians of her time, from Svjatoslav Richter to the Alban Berg Quartet. She has won acclaim in recent years for her recitals at the Muziekgebouw, where she performed Beethoven’s and Schubert’s last sonatas. And in 2022, she teamed up with the Streichquartett der Staatskapelle Berlin to deliver an ‘impressive Brahms marathon’ (De Nieuwe Muze). This time, the grande dame of the grand piano performs masterpieces by Schumann and Mendelssohn with her favourite string quartet.

The string quartet that was born out of the Staatskapelle Berlin in 2017 has found a formidable partner in Elisabeth Leonskaja. Together they work their magic on Robert Schumann’s Piano Quartet and Piano Quintet, two exceptionally successful pieces full of joie de vivre. Serving as a buffer between these pillars of romantic chamber music is Felix Mendelssohn’s poignant Sixth String Quartet, a homage to his sister Fanny, who died in May 1847. It was the last work he completed; he died in November of that same year.

A sprinkle of experimentation, a dash of nonconformity – it’s of all times. And it’s what makes music so lively. The three gentlemen of Phantasm present a pretty daring programme. Because in 16th-century England, too, you had musical adventurers: from Tye to Purcell, from Tomkins to Gibbons. This programme also features a lot of William Byrd, called the ‘Father of English Music’, and rightly so.

The most beautiful counterpoint leads to exciting situations. Counterpoint (‘point against point’) is the art of weaving melodies together in such a way that they sound good both individually and as a whole. And no matter what path you take, it will all be okay; or as composer Christopher Tye instructed: ‘Sing ye true and care not, for I am true, fear not.’

This concert will be recorded to be broadcast later by NTR on NPO Klassiek

‘It’s as if it was written for them,’ the press raved about The Fairy Queen à la Vox. For his pioneering semi-opera, Henry Purcell turned to the words of that other English giant, William Shakespeare. The result? A fairy tale in which nothing is what it seems in a production populated by shadow puppets. The work of set designer Lauwers and videographer Mário Melo Costa add to the creation of an enchanting experience for the audience.

Purcell distributed the vocal parts over a large number of soloists, resulting in a multitude of voices that populate this world of illusion and suggestion. The sparkling voices of the ensemble resound between the shadow puppets, like visions between the material and immaterial worlds.

This concert will be recorded to be broadcast later by NTR on NPO Klassiek