This season, the renowned Ciconia Consort, The Hague’s String Orchestra, will present four exceptional concert programs at Nieuwe Kerk in The Hague and other exceptional venues across the Netherlands:
- The Era of the Crystal Palace
- Old Dutch Christmas
- The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- Sunflowers and Lavender
Of particular interest to Diplomat Magazine readers are The Era of the Crystal Palace and The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which highlight significant cultural exchanges. Below are more details on these fascinating performances.
The Era of the Crystal Palace – October 2024
This program evokes the Belle Époque era, an age of grand World Expos and a boundless belief in progress, with iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and London’s Crystal Palace symbolizing innovation. The 1889 Paris Exhibition left a profound mark on Western music, with composers like Debussy drawing inspiration from Javanese dance and gamelan music. Dutch-Indies composer Constant van de Wall masterfully adapted this Eastern gamelan style for string instruments.
George Antheil, known for his avant-garde techniques and use of sirens and airplane propellers, brings a modern romantic flair with his Serenade for String Orchestra, influenced by Prokofiev and jazz. The program features a beautiful harp solo in André Caplet’s Conte fantastique, performed by Alexandra Bidi, prizewinner of the 2023 International ARD Music Competition. The concert concludes with the stunning orchestration of Ravel’s String Quartet by Rudolph Barshai.
Performance Dates:
- Wednesday, 2 October 2024 – 8:15 PM, Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
- Saturday, 5 October 2024 – 8:00 PM, Theater Hanzehof, Zutphen
- Thursday, 24 October 2024 – 8:15 PM, Oudshoornse Kerk, Alphen aan den Rijn
- Saturday, 26 October 2024 – 8:15 PM, Nieuwe Kerk, The Hague
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon – February/March 2025
Internationally acclaimed violinist Maria Milstein takes center stage in Arutiunian’s grand violin concerto during this musically poetic journey inspired by Alexander the Great and Marco Polo. The program, structured as a promenade with traditional Armenian music, transports audiences through desert landscapes, accompanied by vivid imagery of camel caravans.
The journey begins with Nino Rota’s gallant Concerto for Strings and travels to Constantinople with Gondol Şarkısı, a Eurasian piece composed by Sultan Abdülaziz. Azerbaijani composer Fikret Amirov, known for blending Persian-Arab folk music with symphonic elements, offers his Symphony for String Orchestra, dedicated to the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami. The program concludes in Beijing with Song of the Ch’in, a piece by contemporary Chinese-American composer Zhou Long.
Performance Dates:
- Friday, 7 February 2025 – 8:15 PM, Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
- Sunday, 9 February 2025 – 3:30 PM, Nieuwe Kerk, The Hague
- Saturday, 15 February 2025 – 8:00 PM, Theater Hanzehof, Zutphen
- Thursday, 27 March 2025 – 8:30 PM, De Vereeniging, Nijmegen
- Saturday, 29 March 2025 – 8:15 PM, Willem Twee Toonzaal, Den Bosch
For more information and tickets, visit www.ciconiaconsort.nl.
