Opmaak 1 - Muziekcentrum van de Omroep

Netherlands Radio Choir
Passion in
divergent
forms
What sets the Netherlands Radio Choir apart is a
panoply of technical qualities blended with musical
passion coming straight from the heart. The result
is an experience that captivates the listener.
From ‘primal-Russian rough and burly’ (Jochem
Valkenburg in NRC Handelsblad on a performance of
Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky) to ‘light and radiant..,
clear and sweeping,’ (Peter van der Lint in Trouw on
Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, in
October 2008). This passionate music-making does
not confine itself to particular periods in music history.
After the seldom-performed Handel, it returned
several months later in a memorable Sankt-Bach-
Passion by Mauricio Kagel in which ‘the Netherlands
Radio Choir excelled in the sprechgesang, bottomless
glissandi and harmonically diffuse little chorales’
(NRC Handelsblad, December 2008).
The Netherlands Radio Choir is a welcomed partner
outside the Dutch broadcasting community, too,
though the possibilities are limited by the intensive
programming of Netherlands Public Broadcasting.
In the 2009-10 season, the Netherlands Radio Choir
will appear six times with the Royal Concertgebouw
Orchestra under chief conductor Mariss Jansons,
with performances of Mahler’s Second and Third
symphonies. The start of the new season will see
notable Beethoven concerts, for example with the
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, as part of the
Gergiev Festival.
tristan murail
In the popular Saturday Matinee series, high points
will come with the performance of Heinz Holliger’s
Gesänge der Frühe and Les sept paroles du Christ en
croix by Tristan Murail. This work will be repeated
in Paris with the Orchestre Philharmonique de
Radio France conducted by Pascal Rophé.
war requiem
An exquisite programme with music by Schütz, Cavalli,
Purcell, Sven-David Sandström, Mendelssohn,
Reger and Nystedt will be performed in Utrecht’s
Jacobikerk (St. James’ Church) in De Vrijdag van
Vredenburg (The Vredenburg Friday) series. Also in
Utrecht, at Vredenburg Leidsche Rijn, the choir can
be heard in works including an English version of
Mendelssohn’s oratorio Paulus and the magnificent
War Requiem by Benjamin Britten.
meistersinger
In the great Romantic and early 20th-century
dramatic works expressiveness and ensemble sensitivity
are the key factors. ‘The brilliantly playing
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the
sublimely singing Netherlands Radio Choir formed
an ideal unit,’ Eddie Vetter wrote in De Telegraaf
(February 2009) on Wagner’s Meistersinger, which
received a universally praised performance last
season.
From delicate a capella to mighty tutti, the Netherlands
Radio Choir will again shine in divergent forms.
Translation: Caecile de Hoog
6 Groot Omroepkoor Seizoen 09|10
Seizoen 09|10 Groot Omroepkoor 7