Classical Music

After his monumental Seventh and Eighth symphonies, Shostakovich’s Ninth in 1945 was supposed ot h the triumphant conclusion of his three ‘war symphonies’. A paean to victory and Soviet heroism. However, at the premiere, a much shorter, satirical work was heard. Stalin reacted with dismay. From the bold gallop with a touch of slapstick ot he ink-black melancholy in the poignant bassoon solos, the Ninth is typical Shostakovich.

Netherlands' most famous composition? Heard more often than the Wilhelmus? It could very well be. The intoxicating Canto Ostinato by Simeon ten Holt is unbelievably frequently performed. Perhaps it helps that it can be performed on a variety of different instruments. It can sound beautiful on keyboard and wind instruments as well. Especially when performed by organist Aart Bergwerff and trumpeter Eric Vloeimans.

'Four top players with effervescent energy, they grasp you from the very first note! [...] The great promise of the Dutch string quartets.' What is it about? About the Animato Quartet, which won the audience award of Dutch Classical Talent in 2022 and the Kammermusikpreis Kultur Gut Hasselburg in '23. It is only recently, that it also won the most important Dutch prize for classical chamber music talent: the Anton Kersjes Prize. The jury concluded: 'Layered, intense playing with a broad palette of colors.'

After the concert
After the concert, we will serve a cup of coffee or tea with a delicious treat. This is included with your ticket.

Dizzying runs, a tenderly floating violin melody, pounding rhythms. But what am I even hearing? How did Vivaldi manage it? Maestro and 'stand-up' conductor Jules van Hessen is your guide into the sometimes impenetrable world of classical music. Conducting and narrating, from the conductor's stand and in between orchestra members, Maestro Jules delves into the enchanting music of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. In this way, he makes all music attractive and understandable for everyone!

Put the two greatest geniuses from England around 1600 together: the result is something extraordinary. Henry Purcell and William Shakespeare; the former composed The Fairy Queen, a semi-opera based on Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream. According to many, it is Purcell's finest opera. Isaline Claeys' staging is populated by shadow puppets; scenographer Emilie Lauwers and videographer Mário Melo Costa complete the enchantment of this Baroque highlight with fanciful images.

Pieter van Loenen, Dana Zemtsov, Laura van der Heijden, and Alexander Ullman: how many young top talents can fit into one ensemble? Four musicians, each with a stunning solo career you may have heard individually, now come together in chamber music. Mozart's Piano Quartet in E-flat, KV493, is a piece almost too grand for chamber music; the work of the Frenchman Chausson is less known but truly deserves more frequent performances.

Enjoying music, show, and spectacle. With a smile on your face and a tear in your eye. That's the prelude of Philcarnavalesk to the crazy carnival days. With a swinging symphony orchestra in top form and engaging soloists in a program featuring beautiful numbers, humor, and all in a visual spectacle. Classic all-time favorites and symphonic highlights ensure a celebration of recognition. And feel free to dress up, then the evening can't get any better!

We don't hear her as often nowadays; her performances have become relatively rare. So when she does perform, Maria João Pires, the petite and slender Portuguese pianist with the elegant sound, graces the stage. Or as the Penguin Guide wrote about her complete set of Mozart's piano sonatas (she's performing one now too): "Maria Joao Pires is a stylist and an excellent Mozartian. She is always refined, but never lacks classical feeling, and possesses a vital imagination. She strikes an ideal balance between evenness and expressive sensitivity, conveying a sense of spontaneity in everything she does."

"The performance stood out for its pure clarity. The way she transitioned from one note to the next was so beautifully executed that it seemed like a seamless silk thread." Opera Today was at a loss for words to praise Miah Persson in her performance of Strauss' Four Last Songs. For her concert in Eindhoven, she is in good hands: Sir Mark Elder has conducted in all major opera houses and knows better than anyone else how to make great singers shine. Since 2022, he has been the Principal Guest Conductor of the renowned Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the oldest orchestras in the world.

There will be a free introduction at 7:30 PM, co-sponsored by the Friends of Muziekgebouw Eindhoven.

Mezzo-soprano and world-renowned star Magdalena Kožená has made a name for herself as a soloist with top orchestras and shines in renowned opera houses. And Kožená holds a special place in her heart for our chief conductor Duncan Ward. She met Duncan when he, at twenty years old, assisted her husband, star conductor Simon Rattle, with the famous Berliner Philharmoniker.

"As if their lives depend on it," The Times wrote about the playing of the Pavel Haas Quartet. The four Czechs now take the stage with pianist Boris Giltburg. He previously made a splash in Eindhoven with his performances of sonatas by Beethoven and Shostakovich. Now, however, he demonstrates his prowess with Brahms and Dvořák. The quintet by the Czech composer Dvořák is the most beautiful flower among piano quintets: so sunny, so radiant, so colorful - Czechs never composed better.

As an exclusive Sony Classical International Artist, Lavinia Meijer performs worldwide: from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Berliner Philharmonie. This makes her one of the most renowned harpists globally. Born in South Korea and adopted at the age of 2, the Netherlands became her home. Her passion lies in expanding the repertoire for her instrument and exploring its possibilities. She is particularly renowned for her interpretations of the works of the famous American minimalist composer Philip Glass.

"My violin is an ancient living soul full of stories. I had to earn her trust, but after three months, she completely opened up to me. Since then, she lets me tell all the stories I want," Veronica Eberle shares about her beautiful Stradivarius, 'the Dragonetti' from 1700. During this concert, the young German violin soloist, through one of the masterpieces of the twentieth century, tells the story of the death of a young girl. 

In this master class, the world-famous Spanish pianist Jorge Luis Prats reveals some of his secrets about his art to the students and the audience. Sit back and enjoy, because a good master class is insanely captivating and also a great effort of concentration for the audience. Participants and repertoire will be announced nearer the time.

Fourteen pianos he left behind in Cuba when he emigrated to Spain. Forty-five years old, and finally freed from Castro's travel restrictions, he was a rising star in Europe and the United States. A sensation it was, that first time in Amsterdam: Jorge Luis Prats, Albéniz's complete Ibéria, Master Pianists series, 2016. The only one who ever preceded him in it was piano legend Alicia de Larrocha, in the 1980s, long ago. Usually, only individual parts are being performed. At the time, Prats said in an interview: 'This is the most difficult music ever written for piano. Technically alone it is challenging, with each individual movement you spend a year studying, but it is mainly the musical aspect that is challenging.'

One of music's most cherished works: Carmina Burana. Full of rich melodies and catchy rhythms. Ralph van Raat plays a selection from a virtuoso piano solo version of the piece, which is based on medieval poems about love, lust, luck and bad luck. But what is the meaning of the texts, written in Latin, Middle High German and Old French? And what do they say about the culture and mentality of medieval people? Cultural historian Herman Pleij explains.

Betrayal, condemnation, and death. But above all: love. Although the text of the St Matthew Passion is centuries old, the story and the message remain relevant. And Bach's masterful music continues to touch hearts, year after year. With Rademann, Bach's masterpiece is in good hands. This true Bach aficionado – founder of the Dresdner Kammerchor, artistic director of the Bachakademie Stuttgart, and a familiar name at the international music festival Bachfest – seeks, with each performance of the St Matthew Passion, a contemporary, new approach.

Those powerful timpani strokes at the beginning of his First, or those sighs of resignation with which the violins open his Fourth, or that tender melody in... Brahms' four symphonies are among the most beloved orchestral repertoire. They embody the entire spectrum of human emotions as one breathing symphonic cosmos. Schönberg arranged Brahms' Piano Quartet, thus creating a 'Fifth Symphony of Brahms'.

"Making music together is incredibly powerful. It fosters solidarity: together we are one!" Jaap van Zweden said in an interview with NRC. That feeling has been the driving force behind his unstoppable urge to make music from a young age. A true rocket engine that propelled his career to great heights. He conducted some of the world's most famous orchestras, from Amsterdam to New York. Now, Van Zweden returns to 'his' Antwerp Symphony Orchestra temporarily. "They play their socks out for me," said the top maestro. And the renowned Flemish orchestra will have ample opportunity to do so in Beethoven's magnificent Ninth.

There will be a free introduction at 7:30 PM, co-sponsored by the Friends of Muziekgebouw Eindhoven.

18 you are, and already you have this in your pocket; International Franz Liszt Piano Competition 2021: first prize, Concours de Genève 2022: first prize, Arthur Rubinstein Competition, first prize again. What is to come in 2024... Certainly a wonderful recital in Muziekgebouw Eindhoven. The very young Canadian Kevin Chen plays two piano giants: the Polish Chopin and the cosmopolitan Hungarian Liszt. 'An authentic artist with wonderful sensitivity and remarkable mastery,' the French Diapason wrote about Chen. 

About three hundred years ago, the first performance of the St. Matthew Passion took place in the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. With librettist Picander, Bach created a magnificent masterpiece for two orchestras, two choirs, a children's choir, and vocal soloists. "The St. Matthew" is heard every year around Easter in hundreds of sold-out concert halls and packed churches. Jos van Veldhoven's last St. Matthew Passion with the Dutch Bach Society was praised by the Volkskrant for its "transparent sound," "dramatic moments," and "lively performance."