Concerts with works by

Henry Purcell

The Image of Melancholy: John Dowland and Henry Purcell

The Sunday Morning Concert brings you wonderful and much-loved compositions, performed by top musicians from the Netherlands and abroad. Enjoy the most beautiful music in the morning! You can make your Sunday complete by enjoying a delicious post-concert lunch in restaurant LIER.The Royal Concertgebouw is one of the best concert halls in the world, famous for its exceptional acoustics and varied programme. Attend a concert and have an experience you will never forget. Come and enjoy inspiring music in the beautiful surroundings of the Main Hall or the intimate Recital Hall.

All Souls

Every year, the Bach Society remembers the dead with the most beautiful Baroque music. This year, bass and conductor Lionel Meunier has chosen gems by Purcell, Morley, Fux and J.C. Bach, which were written for royal funerals.Wonderful, soothing, spiritual music“Every religion has its own way of dealing with death. For All Souls, Lionel Meunier – artistic director of the acclaimed Belgian vocal ensemble Vox Luminis – is bringing together the Anglican, Catholic and Protestant views of saying farewell. The programme goes from the stately English funeral music of Purcell and Morley, written on the deaths of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, via the hopeful works of Bach’s cousin Johann Christoph Bach, to the moving Kaiserrequiem by Fux, composed for the late empress Eleonora von Neuburg. A religious triptych filled with wonderful, soothing, spiritual music to commemorate the dead.

»The Art of Being Human«

Human existence is a contradictory business. »The Art of Being Human« explores the complex impacts of this trite fact. The Grammy award-winning viola da gamba ensemble Phantasm thereby ensures a musical performance at the very highest level. Its members put their instrumental mastery into operation for an evening in which old sounds and contemporary dance blend into an inseparable unit and jointly try to fathom the darkest recesses of the human condition. Choreographer Sommer Ulrickson and allround visual artist Alexander Polzin create a multidisciplinary framework in which music and movement come together, connect with each other, hook into each other, collide and cross fertilise. Under the leadership of Laurence Dreyfus, Phantasm plays music of English masters, such as John Dowland, Henry Purcell and William Byrd. At the same time, the musicians interact in the most diverse way with the dancers, who move as partners and yet adversaries around sculptures by the Berlin artist Alexander Polzin. The result is a staged concert evening, which makes full use of the potential of this currently popular format!

HUMANS

Leipzig Ballet, under Rémy Fichet, presents "Humans," a double bill exploring creative and abstract dance narratives. Louis Stiens examines dance's embodiment, its impact on choreography, and Leipzig Ballet's history, linking to Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony. Sofia Nappi blends ballet, contemporary dance, and performance, exploring Baroque and modern elements with music by Clara Schumann and Henry Purcell, reflecting on femininity across eras.

Brooklyn Rider

The New York-based string quartet Brooklyn Rider has been attracting a wide audience since its inception in 2005 with concerts that often cross genres. They visited Konserthuset for a highly acclaimed concert in 2014 and also performed at Fotografiska. All in line with the ensemble's desire to break away from the traditional and familiar.During their eagerly awaited return to Konserthuset, the programme ranges from British Baroque to French Betsy Jolas's third string quartet from 1973, which, in nine parts, explores the mysterious universe of music. A completely different character is found in Mozart's String Quartet in C Major, often called the Dissonant Quartet due to its long and striking introduction, which today we do not find particularly dissonant.After Arvo Pärt's meditative Solfeggio, Brooklyn Rider concludes with Brahms's wonderful first string quartet with its remarkable coherence. The opening and closing movements are characterized by a delightful and fervent temperament, with tender and luminous music in between.

Kebyart Saxophonquartett Dem Himmel so nah

The Kebyart Saxophone Quartet, comprised of four Catalonians, is captivating international audiences with their divine saxophone performances. Their Heidelberg program features a range of music from sacred choral works to Purcell's fantasies and Clara Schumann's "Fugitive Pieces," arranged for saxophones. Even Jörg Widmann, initially skeptical of the genre, was impressed by the quartet's sound culture. Their program is topped off by Widmann's "7 Capricci" and a new piece by Mikel Urquiza.

Reverie and Rapture

Växjö-based Musica Vitae joins us accompanied by the British violinist and conductor Hugo Ticciati, who is active in Sweden. He founded the O/Modernt festival in 2011, known for its innovative and cross-genre programming, which also characterizes his concert with Musica Vitae.The first part of the concert presents music infused with religious reverie. We hear the mysticism of Hildegard of Bingen in Vos flores rosarum and wordless violin song in Arvo Pärt's Fratres. Additionally, two meditations on the theme of the suffering mother: John Tavener's Mother of God, Here I Stand from The Veil of the Temple, and Lera Auerbach's Sogno di Stabat Mater (Dream of Stabat Mater). After the interval, the mood shifts from spiritual contemplation to exalted rapture. In the enigmatically dancing Aksak and Ciphers, Swedish composer Albert Schnelzer has encoded both Brahms and family members in the score. This is followed by a musical dialogue between Philip Glass’s Baroque-inspired Symphony No. 3 and arrangements of songs from the grunge rock band Nirvana’s iconic album Nevermind, and even a shivering spirit by the Baroque master Henry Purcell makes an appearance.

HUMANS

Leipzig Ballet, under Rémy Fichet, presents "Humans," a double bill exploring creative and abstract dance narratives. Louis Stiens examines dance's embodiment, its impact on choreography, and Leipzig Ballet's history, linking to Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony. Sofia Nappi blends ballet, contemporary dance, and performance, exploring Baroque and modern elements with music by Clara Schumann and Henry Purcell, reflecting on femininity across eras.

HUMANS

Leipzig Ballet, under Rémy Fichet, presents "Humans," a double bill exploring creative and abstract dance narratives. Louis Stiens examines dance's embodiment, its impact on choreography, and Leipzig Ballet's history, linking to Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony. Sofia Nappi blends ballet, contemporary dance, and performance, exploring Baroque and modern elements with music by Clara Schumann and Henry Purcell, reflecting on femininity across eras.

HUMANS

Leipzig Ballet, under Rémy Fichet, presents "Humans," a double bill exploring creative and abstract dance narratives. Louis Stiens examines dance's embodiment, its impact on choreography, and Leipzig Ballet's history, linking to Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony. Sofia Nappi blends ballet, contemporary dance, and performance, exploring Baroque and modern elements with music by Clara Schumann and Henry Purcell, reflecting on femininity across eras.

Instrumental fireworks

‘Queen of the Baroque violin’ Rachel Podger will lead and inspire the Bach Society with her violin. Instrumental fireworks sparked off by one of today’s best Baroque violinists.Queen of the Baroque violin“What Beethoven was to the symphony, Italian composer and violinist Arcangelo Corelli was to the concerto: a shining example who was known to all composers. In this programme, Rachel Podger shows how far Corelli’s influence extended; way beyond the borders of Italy, to France and Germany. Virtuoso music by composers like Handel and Lully, in which Podger and the instrumental ensemble will shine.

Instrumental fireworks

‘Queen of the Baroque violin’ Rachel Podger will lead and inspire the Bach Society with her violin. Instrumental fireworks sparked off by one of today’s best Baroque violinists.Queen of the Baroque violin“What Beethoven was to the symphony, Italian composer and violinist Arcangelo Corelli was to the concerto: a shining example who was known to all composers. In this programme, Rachel Podger shows how far Corelli’s influence extended; way beyond the borders of Italy, to France and Germany. Virtuoso music by composers like Handel and Lully, in which Podger and the instrumental ensemble will shine.

Instrumental fireworks

‘Queen of the Baroque violin’ Rachel Podger will lead and inspire the Bach Society with her violin. Instrumental fireworks sparked off by one of today’s best Baroque violinists.Queen of the Baroque violin“What Beethoven was to the symphony, Italian composer and violinist Arcangelo Corelli was to the concerto: a shining example who was known to all composers. In this programme, Rachel Podger shows how far Corelli’s influence extended; way beyond the borders of Italy, to France and Germany. Virtuoso music by composers like Handel and Lully, in which Podger and the instrumental ensemble will shine.

Instrumental fireworks

‘Queen of the Baroque violin’ Rachel Podger will lead and inspire the Bach Society with her violin. Instrumental fireworks sparked off by one of today’s best Baroque violinists.Queen of the Baroque violin“What Beethoven was to the symphony, Italian composer and violinist Arcangelo Corelli was to the concerto: a shining example who was known to all composers. In this programme, Rachel Podger shows how far Corelli’s influence extended; way beyond the borders of Italy, to France and Germany. Virtuoso music by composers like Handel and Lully, in which Podger and the instrumental ensemble will shine.

Pearls in Baroque: The French Connection of Purcell

Dame Sarah Connolly ís Dido in Purcell's Dido & Aeneas

The Concertgebouw’s famous Main Hall is one of the best concert halls in the world, well-known for its exceptional acoustics and special atmosphere. In the Main Hall, you will feel history. Here, Gustav Mahler conducted his own compositions, as did Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky. Sergei Rachmaninoff played his own piano concertos in the Main Hall. This is also where musicians such as Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Horowitz and Yehudi Menuhin gave legendary performances. Right up to now, the Main Hall offers a stage to the world’s best orchestras and musicians. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Main Hall for yourself!

Organo con stromenti

All Souls

Every year, the Bach Society remembers the dead with the most beautiful Baroque music. This year, bass and conductor Lionel Meunier has chosen gems by Purcell, Morley, Fux and J.C. Bach, which were written for royal funerals.Wonderful, soothing, spiritual music“Every religion has its own way of dealing with death. For All Souls, Lionel Meunier – artistic director of the acclaimed Belgian vocal ensemble Vox Luminis – is bringing together the Anglican, Catholic and Protestant views of saying farewell. The programme goes from the stately English funeral music of Purcell and Morley, written on the deaths of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, via the hopeful works of Bach’s cousin Johann Christoph Bach, to the moving Kaiserrequiem by Fux, composed for the late empress Eleonora von Neuburg. A religious triptych filled with wonderful, soothing, spiritual music to commemorate the dead.

All Souls

Every year, the Bach Society remembers the dead with the most beautiful Baroque music. This year, bass and conductor Lionel Meunier has chosen gems by Purcell, Morley, Fux and J.C. Bach, which were written for royal funerals.Wonderful, soothing, spiritual music“Every religion has its own way of dealing with death. For All Souls, Lionel Meunier – artistic director of the acclaimed Belgian vocal ensemble Vox Luminis – is bringing together the Anglican, Catholic and Protestant views of saying farewell. The programme goes from the stately English funeral music of Purcell and Morley, written on the deaths of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, via the hopeful works of Bach’s cousin Johann Christoph Bach, to the moving Kaiserrequiem by Fux, composed for the late empress Eleonora von Neuburg. A religious triptych filled with wonderful, soothing, spiritual music to commemorate the dead.

All Souls

Every year, the Bach Society remembers the dead with the most beautiful Baroque music. This year, bass and conductor Lionel Meunier has chosen gems by Purcell, Morley, Fux and J.C. Bach, which were written for royal funerals.Wonderful, soothing, spiritual music“Every religion has its own way of dealing with death. For All Souls, Lionel Meunier – artistic director of the acclaimed Belgian vocal ensemble Vox Luminis – is bringing together the Anglican, Catholic and Protestant views of saying farewell. The programme goes from the stately English funeral music of Purcell and Morley, written on the deaths of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, via the hopeful works of Bach’s cousin Johann Christoph Bach, to the moving Kaiserrequiem by Fux, composed for the late empress Eleonora von Neuburg. A religious triptych filled with wonderful, soothing, spiritual music to commemorate the dead.

All Souls

Every year, the Bach Society remembers the dead with the most beautiful Baroque music. This year, bass and conductor Lionel Meunier has chosen gems by Purcell, Morley, Fux and J.C. Bach, which were written for royal funerals.Wonderful, soothing, spiritual music“Every religion has its own way of dealing with death. For All Souls, Lionel Meunier – artistic director of the acclaimed Belgian vocal ensemble Vox Luminis – is bringing together the Anglican, Catholic and Protestant views of saying farewell. The programme goes from the stately English funeral music of Purcell and Morley, written on the deaths of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, via the hopeful works of Bach’s cousin Johann Christoph Bach, to the moving Kaiserrequiem by Fux, composed for the late empress Eleonora von Neuburg. A religious triptych filled with wonderful, soothing, spiritual music to commemorate the dead.

All Souls

Every year, the Bach Society remembers the dead with the most beautiful Baroque music. This year, bass and conductor Lionel Meunier has chosen gems by Purcell, Morley, Fux and J.C. Bach, which were written for royal funerals.Wonderful, soothing, spiritual music“Every religion has its own way of dealing with death. For All Souls, Lionel Meunier – artistic director of the acclaimed Belgian vocal ensemble Vox Luminis – is bringing together the Anglican, Catholic and Protestant views of saying farewell. The programme goes from the stately English funeral music of Purcell and Morley, written on the deaths of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, via the hopeful works of Bach’s cousin Johann Christoph Bach, to the moving Kaiserrequiem by Fux, composed for the late empress Eleonora von Neuburg. A religious triptych filled with wonderful, soothing, spiritual music to commemorate the dead.

All Souls

Every year, the Bach Society remembers the dead with the most beautiful Baroque music. This year, bass and conductor Lionel Meunier has chosen gems by Purcell, Morley, Fux and J.C. Bach, which were written for royal funerals.Wonderful, soothing, spiritual music“Every religion has its own way of dealing with death. For All Souls, Lionel Meunier – artistic director of the acclaimed Belgian vocal ensemble Vox Luminis – is bringing together the Anglican, Catholic and Protestant views of saying farewell. The programme goes from the stately English funeral music of Purcell and Morley, written on the deaths of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, via the hopeful works of Bach’s cousin Johann Christoph Bach, to the moving Kaiserrequiem by Fux, composed for the late empress Eleonora von Neuburg. A religious triptych filled with wonderful, soothing, spiritual music to commemorate the dead.