The successor of the classical music program starts on Sunday Stage Witteman. After the eponymous presenter Paul Witteman presented his last broadcast in May, the NTR had to search for a new presenter in haste. They found two: Floris Kortie, famous face from Stage Wittemanand a brand new nestor: Dieuwertje Blok.
Blok (65), tried and tested in (culture) television, looks very pleased with her new job at the beginning of this week, with the preparations for the new program in full swing. Blok: “If you like culture, and classical music, and you like live television where you can sit with your nose on top of that music, then this is a dream, isn’t it?”
Also read the farewell interview with Paul Witteman: ‘I am convinced that classical music is very hip’
Paul Wittemans shoes, grown up in eight years Stage Witteman, she won’t fit. “His knowledge of classical music is much greater than mine. I sometimes joke that I am not hindered by knowledge of the facts. However, Paul was not the man of great emotion. That’s why I always liked it so much when he got a little emotional. I can enjoy music more visibly and I think I can transfer my enthusiasm to others.”
She was surprised when she was asked to come and try out the dynamics with Floris Kortie and regular sidekick pianist Mike Boddé. “I thought that with my age I would be a passing station, but how wonderful that age does not play a role.” And, scornfully: “Let that also be an example for all other women in broadcasting over 60!”
Stage Discount
Floris Kortie (35) knows the regular audience of Stage Witteman already from a weekly short item on one musical subject, but his new role as co-presenter is a big step up. And yet, hadn’t Stage Discount should be, with Kortie as anchorman? Shorty: “No! Stage Witteman was thought from Paul. It was logical that it was called Witteman. But my own name on a program had seemed unpleasant to me. Of course I imagined what it would be like to present alone, but since we have been preparing the program with Dieuwertje, it feels very good. And you shouldn’t make presentation bigger than it is; in the end we are just the waiters who get to serve the music. The only thing that is important is that we are enthusiastic about our dish.”
His own enthusiasm was also important for Paul Witteman, who kept a tight grip on the reins of his program. Plans by the editors that Paul himself was not enthusiastic about often did not make the show. “Sometimes that was a shame,” says Kortie. “Then I thought: huh, Paul, my idea is really nice, isn’t it? But then Paul asked, ‘Isn’t it getting too funny?’”
That voice has settled in the back of Kortie’s head, and he now agrees that it is there. “Paul kept the editors sharp. The program never became an easy fill-in exercise. That is what I will hopefully take away from Paul, dare to say: ‘no this does not fit’, or ‘no this quality is not high enough’”. But, Blok thinks: “I think it is easier for us to be tempted by the ideas of the editors.”
Looking for the edges
Fans of Podium Witteman do not have to be afraid of a switch to a completely new program. Pianist Mike Boddé continues to contribute from behind the piano and except that Blok and Kortie both think they are lighter interviewers together than Witteman, little changes in the content. Together they will gradually search for their own interpretation.
Also read our interview with J’Nai Bridges: J’Nai Bridges Wants To Sing Classic Roles: ‘Bring On The Racist Feedback‘
Would they like to change something? Blok: “I love it when people take music from another music culture or from another time, and put it in contemporary music. I like to hear that musical rootsI would like to hear more about that. Especially if they look for the edges of a genre, and sometimes go beyond that.” Kortie: “I don’t want to change anything about the broad music mix, but I really like opera. There could be a bit more theatricality in the program. TV is perfect for that. And maybe a little more music by Dutch composers, past and present?”
On Sunday, the new presenters will each bring a guest that they absolutely wanted in the first broadcast, and who seamlessly connects to those new tastes. Blok shows a fragment of Bo Floor, a trumpeter from the duo Äktaro who incorporates the Swedish lullabies that his mother sang for him into his music and who wants to invite them to the studio quickly, because it is music with roots in another culture. Kortie receives J’Nai Bridges, the soprano who now sings Carmen in the opera of the same name, which can now be seen at Dutch National Opera.
Who makes announcement sister, who interview like that? Do they stay at the table or do they walk around the studio? The first few broadcasts will still be searching, Blok and Kortie both agree. But they are clearly looking forward to that free puzzle. One thing is certain, after a few broadcasts, Kortie goes for coffee with Paul Witteman. “For tips and advice. Hear what he thinks. Yes, I do hold my breath for that a bit. But when I joined the program as a sidekick eight years ago, Paul also gave me tips. They were very encouraging at the time.”
Podium Klassiek (NTR), from September 11 every Sunday at 6:20 pm on NPO2.