Fascist terror drove Hanns Eisler, Kurt Weill and Ernst Křenek to the United States. While Křenek and Weill managed to develop a brilliant career, Eisler’s promising American career was stymied by the Cold War. Jan Kobow, mainly famous as an oratorio singer and a performer of early music, now also proves his mettle in this 20th-century repertoire.

Hanns Eisler was one of the first artists to be put on the ‘Hollywood Blacklist’, suspected of spying for the Soviets. Despite the protest of friends such as Charlie Chaplin, Stravinsky and Bernstein, he was expelled from the US in 1948 as ‘the Karl Marx of music’. Ernst Křenek, for his part, fared much better in the States. He taught at prestigious universities and continued, just like in his native Austria, experimenting with an abundance of music styles. Kurt Weill, finally, popularised in his Broadway oeuvre the exploratory work which had before made him the most advanced composer of music theatre in the Weimar Republic.

Performers
Jan Kobow, tenor | Burkhard Kehring, piano

Programme
H. Eisler: Lieder aus dem Hollywood-Liederbuch | K. Weill: Klops Lied | Berlin-im-Licht-Song | Wie lange noch? | Es regnet | Buddy on the nightshift | Ballade von Macky Messer E. Křenek: Reisebuch aus den österreichischen Alpen, opus 62

08 March, 2015 14:00 -- AMUZ

Fascist terror drove Hanns Eisler, Kurt Weill and Ernst Krenek to the United States. While Krenek and Weill managed to develop a brilliant career, Eislers promising American career was stymied by the Cold War. Jan Kobow, mainly famous as an oratorio singer and a performer of early music, now also proves his mettle in this 20th-century repertoire.

Hanns Eisler was one of the first artists to be put on the Hollywood Blacklist, suspected of spying for the Soviets. Despite the protest of friends such as Charlie Chaplin, Stravinsky and Bernstein, he was expelled from the US in 1948 as the Karl Marx of music. Ernst Krenek, for his part, fared much better in the States. He taught at prestigious universities and continued, just like in his native Austria, experimenting with an abundance of music styles. Kurt Weill, finally, popularised in his Broadway oeuvre the exploratory work which had before made him the most advanced composer of music theatre in the Weimar Republic.

08 March, 2015 15:00 -- amuz

Pianist Claire Chevallier — a fixture of AMUZ — likes to immerse herself in the piano scores of Modest Mussorgsky and Alexander Borodin. Together with their colleagues of The Mighty Handful — aka The Five — these composers were the most important pioneers of 19th-century nationalistic music in Russia. As always Chevallier plays with her typical flair on a historical clavier.

Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition is probably the most frequelty adapted piano score ever. Today this music is no doubt performed most of all in Ravel’s orchestration. Borodin’s Petite Suite, dedicated to his Belgian patron, countess Louise de Mercy-Argenteau, an ardent fan of The Five, will get pride of place on the programme too. With her support Borodin rapidly became a celebrated composer in Belgium and France, where the public fell for his romantic charm and seductive melodies.

Performers
Claire Chevallier, piano

Programme
M. Moessorgski: Intermezzo in modo classico | Schilderijententoonstelling | A. Borodin: Petite suite

13 March, 2015 20:00 -- AMUZ

Pianist Claire Chevallier a fixture of AMUZ likes to immerse herself in the piano scores of Modest Mussorgsky and Alexander Borodin. Together with their colleagues of The Mighty Handful aka The Five these composers were the most important pioneers of 19th-century nationalistic music in Russia. As always Chevallier plays with her typical flair on a historical clavier.

Mussorgskys Pictures at an Exhibition is probably the most frequelty adapted piano score ever. Today this music is no doubt performed most of all in Ravels orchestration. Borodins Petite Suite, dedicated to his Belgian patron, countess Louise de Mercy-Argenteau, an ardent fan of The Five, will get pride of place on the programme too. With her support Borodin rapidly became a celebrated composer in Belgium and France, where the public fell for his romantic charm and seductive melodies.

13 March, 2015 21:00 -- amuz

“The best I ever wrote,” Mozart said about his Piano and Wind Quintet in E flat major. This merry work is bound to conjure up a smile on the face of the listener. The young Dutch Thalia Ensemble which was awarded First Prize for promising ensembles at the Early Music Festival in York, will combine this piano quintet with music by Franz Danzi and Anton Reicha.

If Haydn was the father of the string quartet, then the Bohemian composer Anton Reicha earned his niche in music history as the father of the wind quintet. While assigning an equally important role to each of the five wind players, he explored the technical limits of the instruments. In his oeuvre for wind quintet he combined elements from the opéra comique, folk music, military marches and fanfares with forms of variation and counterpoint. The young wolves of Thalia Ensemble bring this music with the necessary zest!

Performers
Belén Nieto Galán, fluit | Sarah Assmann, hobo | Diederik Ornée, klarinet | Hylke Rozema hoorn | José Rodrigues Gomes, fagot | Mayumi Eguro, pianoforte

Programme
F. Danzi: Kwintet in D voor fluit, hobo, klarinet, fagot & piano, opus 54 | A. Reicha: Kwintet in Bes voor fluit, hobo, klarinet, hoorn & fagot, opus 100 nr. 6 | W.A. Mozart: Kwintet in Es voor hobo, klarinet, hoorn, fagot & piano, KV 452

15 March, 2015 14:00 -- AMUZ

The best I ever wrote, Mozart said about his Piano and Wind Quintet in E flat major. This merry work is bound to conjure up a smile on the face of the listener. The young Dutch Thalia Ensemble which was awarded First Prize for promising ensembles at the Early Music Festival in York, will combine this piano quintet with music by Franz Danzi and Anton Reicha.

If Haydn was the father of the string quartet, then the Bohemian composer Anton Reicha earned his niche in music history as the father of the wind quintet. While assigning an equally important role to each of the five wind players, he explored the technical limits of the instruments. In his oeuvre for wind quintet he combined elements from the opéra comique, folk music, military marches and fanfares with forms of variation and counterpoint. The young wolves of Thalia Ensemble bring this music with the necessary zest!

15 March, 2015 15:00 -- amuz