On Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May 2024, Amsterdam Sinfonietta and the Grote Kerk Veere will present the Sinfonietta String Festival Zeeland for the fifth time. The annual festival that takes place in Veere and Middelburg offers a weekend with concerts full of string music in all tastes, from large to small, from orchestral strength to the most intimate chamber music.
The program of this fifth edition of Sinfonietta String Festival Zeeland consists of the concerts below.
Music route through historic Veere
Saturday May 18, 3:00 PM
The festival opens with the Music Route, which introduces you to the most beautiful string music in the smallest ensembles. Works for solo, duo, trio and quartet from different time periods are discussed. The starting point is the Grote Kerk Veere, from where you walk through Veere under supervision. Along the way you will stop at special locations to listen to the musicians of the Amsterdam Sinfonietta.
Philip Glass in India
Saturday May 18, 8:30 PM, Grote Kerk Veere
Be first Second Violin Concerto Glass was inspired by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, in addition, his music is strongly influenced by the repetitive structure of traditional Indian music. Jonny Greenwood, known as the guitarist of Radiohead, was also inspired by Indian music for his piece Water. This work is framed by Indian ragas sung by the Dutch-Indian singer Madhu Lalbahadoersing, which represent the different seasons of the year.
Amsterdam Sinfonietta Chamber Music
Sunday May 19, 11:00 am, Zeeland Concert Hall Middelburg
The second day of the festival starts with a chamber music concert in the Zeeuwse Concertzaal in Middelburg. Musicians from Amsterdam Sinfonietta play works by Ravel and Mozart. Ever since he was a young composer, Mozart used two violas as a rich middle voice in his chamber music. It is therefore no wonder that he is the first viola in his String quintet rewarding solo tasks. In addition to the cello, it is the actual counterpart of the first violin. This results in a layered, incredibly rich sound. Ravel wrote his in the early twentieth century Sonata in memory of Debussy. Critics describe this work for violin and cello as a devilish virtuoso full of crystal-clear coolness, impressive harmonies, fiery diphthongs and alternating with deep tranquility.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Sunday May 19, 4:00 PM, Grote Kerk Veere
Amsterdam Sinfonietta and the award-winning recorder player Lucie Horsch take you on a hallucinatory journey through time through Italy, Hungary, England and Scotland. Together they push the boundaries. The trip to Scotland is extra special. There has been a relationship between Veere and Scotland for more than 700 years. Veere was the official ‘depot’ for Scottish trade in the Low Countries. Composer Peter Maxwell Davies shows how he uses Scottish melody Farewell to Stromness into his own sound world. Furthermore, the Italian composer Nino Rota used folk-like melodies in his Concerto for stringsHungarian composer Sandor Veress gave a refreshing twist to virtuoso Transylvanian dances and baroque composer Telemann incorporated the “barbaric beauty” of Polish and Moravian music into his Trio sonata. Get to know the spectacular Uhrovska collection from 1730, a treasure of 350 Eastern European folk melodies.
Tickets for the concerts of the Sinfonietta String Festival Zeeland can be ordered via the Amsterdam Sinfonietta website.
