Two worlds in one evening. That, in fact, is the essence of this program. On Friday, April 17, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra combines a nineteenth-century masterpiece with a composition that will be heard for the first time that evening. No boring repetition, but a program that contrasts old and new in an interesting way. Led by Colombian conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada, known for his energetic stage presence.
The new work is called Orewoet, composed by Dutch composer Rob Zuidam. The premiere will take place here, in the Concertgebouw's Great Hall, a hall that has been praised for its acoustics for more than a century. Zuidam based his composition on the texts of Hadewijch, a thirteenth-century mystic from the Southern Netherlands who wrote about divine love in a way that still touches us today. Soprano Katrien Baerts sings the refractory text, for orchestra. It is a commission from the Concertgebouw Orchestra itself, which gives this kind of premiere extra meaning: the orchestra is investing in new Dutch work here.
In addition to Orewoet, the program includes the Overture from Bedřich Smetana's The Sold Bride. Short, sharp, full of energy. A good warm-up for what comes next. Because the second half of the evening is reserved for Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, better known as From the New World. Dvořák wrote this ninth and final symphony at the end of the nineteenth century, during his stay in the United States. He was inspired by African-American spirituals and melodies of indigenous peoples, something you can hear in every part of the symphony. It is music that is at once recognizable and adventurous, and comes into its own in the acoustics of the Great Hall in a way that a recording simply does not.
Soprano Katrien Baerts sings Hadewijch's refractory text, for orchestra, during the world premiere of Orewoet.
The Concertgebouw's Great Hall, located in Old South, has been one of the world's most renowned concert halls for more than a century. Not for nothing, as its acoustics make every concert different from listening at home. For an evening with a world premiere and Dvořák at his best, this is exactly the right setting.