Konrad Boehmer (1941) played a key role in the development of new music in the Netherlands. This program features the world premiere of his previously unperformed Rabies for piano quintet alongside a Fünf Bagatellen, in the style of Anton Webern. In addition to work by Boehmer, his close friend Willem Breuker is also an important player in the Dutch jazz world. Varèse and Nono were also great composers of the 20th century from whom Boehmer was inspired.
Konrad Boehmer – Fünf Bagatellen (4′) cl.tpt.vla.vcl.triangel
Edgar Varèse – Octandre (7′) fl.ob.cl.bsn.hn.tpt.tbn.dbs
Konrad Boehmer – Qadar (16′) fl.cl.vln.vcl.pno
Luigi Nono – Polifonica – Monodia – Ritmica (10′) fl.cl.bcl.sax.hn.pno.perc
pause
Konrad Boehmer – Da Ciri fl.cl.vibraphone.pno.vln.vcl
Willem Breuker – Fidget (6′) left
Konrad Boehmer – Rabioso (15′) pno.string quartet (world premiere)
With nostalgic and playful works by Tjøgersen, Cendo, Black, Ballie and a creation by young Quebec composer Francis Battah (commissioned by the SMCQ).
In the concert series ‘Dwarsliggers’, New European Ensemble presents the stories of composers who go against the current. In ‘When I Listen’, discover the powerful compositions of Julius Eastman (1940-1990), imbued with political meaning and inspired by his experience as a gay, African-American artist. During this concert you will experience what he himself called organic music.
Author Glenn Helberg provides his insights into the complexity and diversity of our existence. There will also be new music by Jalalu-Kalvert Nelson; the African-American composer with roots in Oklahoma who found a home in Switzerland, explores the deep connection with African-American culture through his music.
Program
Derrick Skye – American mirror
Jalalu-Kalvert Nelson – After
Julius Eastman – Gay Guerrilla
New European Ensemble
Glenn Helberg, host
Arvo Pärt – Berliner Messe, in the year the composer turns 90!
In the Berliner Messe, Pärt’s characteristic tintinnabuli technique is beautifully showcased, with intimate duets alternating with overwhelming choral sounds. Alongside the Berliner Messe, the evening will feature pieces by Kreek, Bortniansky, Čopi, and Vasks.
The concert will be introduced by renowned musicologist Leo Samama and further enhanced by light artist Harmen van ‘t Loo. During the concert on March 22, around 20 former members of Lux will join in singing the final piece, The Fruit of Silence.
It promises to be a truly special experience, where the choir aims to demonstrate how music can connect people and bring light—both literally and figuratively—especially in these times of unrest, uncertainty, and rising tensions.
Each year, NEuE collaborates with the composition department of the Royal Conservatoire to perform new works by composition students. This year, Hesce Maurits, Thijmen Krijgsman, and Cory Harper-Latkovich are composing for the ensemble. A special guest, the unconventional American Alvin Curran, is also in The Hague at the invitation of ReWire. NEuE will perform Way Out Back by Curran, a humorous and rhythmic ensemble piece.
Hesce Maurits – New work
Thijmen Krijgsman – New work
Cory Harper-Latkovich – New Work
Alvin Curran – Way out back
New European Ensemble celebrates Arnold Schoenberg’s 150th birthday and the ensemble’s fifteenth anniversary! Henk Guittart, former violist of the Schönberg Quartet, presents a fresh, new version of Schönberg’s Violin Concerto. Dutch composer Martijn Padding is inspired by Schönberg’s colorful expressionist paintings in a new work commissioned by NEuE. The program concludes with the Serenade op.24; the first work that the ensemble performed when it was founded in 2009. A celebration of contemporary music!
Arnold Schönberg Violin Concerto (arr. Henk Guittart)
Martijn Padding Ma vie en couleurs (world premiere)
Arnold Schoenberg Serenade op. 24
New European Ensemble
Henk Guittart, conductor
Maria Milstein, violin
A unique concert performance with readings from the novels Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter by Ali Smith, one of the greatest Scottish authors of our time. Every year, Smith wrote a new novel, highlighting contemporary themes such as ecology, migration, Brexit and more. NEuE has commissioned four female composers to create new ensemble works inspired by the novels. This unique mix of music and literature is presented in collaboration with the National Theater, where a matching theater performance will premiere with director Eric de Vroedt.
Programma
Kate Moore – Herfst (world premiere)
Anna Thorvaldsdottir – Spectra
Alice Yeung – Winter (world premiere)
Peter Maxwell Davies – A Sad Paven for These Distracted Tymes v
Seung Won Oh – Spring (world premiere)
Kinan Azmeh – On Solitude
Sara Zamboni – Summer (world premiere)
Meriç Artaç is composing a brand-new Bosch Requiem commissioned by November Music for NEuE and Capella Amsterdam. It will premiere on November 7 at Theater aan de Parade, Den Bosch, and during Opera Forward 2026.
With his iconic composition “4’33”,” John Cage invited listeners in 1952 to attentively listen to their surroundings and the subtle sounds of their own heartbeat and breathing. Since then, new music has consistently challenged us to listen to the world anew. Swiss composer Jürg Frey creates works that explore the boundaries of the audible. His compositions utilize sparse sound materials and silences, making silence the subject of the music. The result is an invitation to reflection and a renewed experience of sound.
Program
John Cage – Seven
John Cage – In a Landscape
John Cage – 4’33
Jürg Frey – world premiere (commissioned by NEuE)
Watch the ensemble working with Jürg Frey: