De raadselachtige Vivier

This program would be directed by Reinbert de Leeuw, who, to or sorrow, passed away on January 14th. Earlier on Bas Wiegers was already asked to substitute for mr. De Leeuw for this concert.
The NTR ZaterdagMatinee dedicates this concert to Reinbert de Leeuw, a warm advocate for contemporary classical music. 

The intriguing Claude Vivier, a Canadian composer who sought inspiration in South East Asia and the Middle East, is the focus of this concert. The Dutch–Iranian composer Reza Namavar is writing a new work.

Over ten years ago, conductor Reinbert de Leeuw thrust into the limelight the work of the enigmatic Canadian composer Claude Vivier, a man who predicted his own death in his final composition. Uniting the influences of his teacher Karlheinz Stockhausen, the French spectralists and the folk music of Java, Bali and Iran, his music is still considered far from mainstream even today. The NTR Saturday Matinee is focusing extensively on several of his masterpieces in which an obsession with death is perhaps the most important theme. Reza Namavar, a Dutch composer with Iranian roots, was commissioned to write a new work specially for this concert. Having composed Versnelheijdsbinderh for the Saturday Matinee in 2014, Namavar, whose work is characterised by freedom, hearty audacity and a completely open mind, was the recipient of the very first biennial Willem Breuker Prize in 2017. So, you have been warned!

Claude Vivier
Zipangu
Pulau Dewata arr. Arnold Marinissen
Wo bist du licht! 
Lonely Child

Reza Namavar
Tiare Tahiti (world première), commissioned by Asko|Schönberg, with the support of Performing Arts Fund NL

Asko|Schönberg
Ensemble Academie
Slagwerk Den Haag

Katrien Baerts soprano
Barbara Kozelj mezzosoprano