On Wednesday 19 July, the Aurora Festival will start, the largest chamber music festival in the Northern Netherlands, with 41 concerts, a summer academy for young talent, public masterclasses and presentations. Artistic director Paul Komen gives a foretaste of the festival based on six themes.
1. The Pleyel Wing
“Five years ago, the Prince Claus Conservatoire was donated a Pleyel wing from 1842, which was restored this year.” Be Saturday July 21 in Groningen seven pianists, including Komen himself, played all of Frédéric Chopin’s nocturnes (‘night pieces’) during a ‘night concert’. The Pleyel was Chopin’s favorite instrument.
,,It plays very differently than a modern grand piano. You feel a lot of movement under the keys. It’s like driving a car without power steering and with mediocre shock absorbers. And the sound is very different: as a player you have to adapt to the instrument, as organists always have to. That stimulates your creativity, because you cannot fall back on a pre-programmed interpretation.”
2. Young musicians
Clarinettist Femke van den Bergh, pianist Jorian van Nee, violinist Pieter van Loenen, violist Lotus de Vries – several young musicians have joined the permanent pool of festival musicians. “That is part of talent development.” And if they have the ambition to teach, there is room for that too. “For example, Floor Le Coultre now also teaches the participants of the Summer Academy.”
This year, 33 young musicians are taking part in the summer academy at the Prince Claus Conservatory in Groningen. In the afternoon they give freely accessible lunchtime concerts. This year there are no more prizes or scholarships to be won. “We wanted to get rid of the competitiveness. Contestants often came up with pieces they had done before to increase their chances of winning prizes. While it is important for us to work on their development.”
3. Latin America
“I wanted to highlight Latin America musically for once. It’s kind of unknown territory. You often hear Astor Piazzolla, but I wanted to do more. In three concerts we zoom in on the three major countries: Argentina , Brazil and Mexico where we also play music by contemporary composers.”
,,I hope that people who visit these concerts will think: ‘Gosh, how nice! I want to know more about that.’ We often talk about talent development, rightly so, but listener development is also important. By doing unexpected things we try to make people curious and make them think. I find that essential.”
4. North America
Aurora Festival
The Aurora Festival takes place from 19 to 28 July, at various locations in Groningen, Drenthe and Friesland. For full programming see aurorafestival.nl .
“We are establishing a link with North America through Antonín Dvorák.” The Czech composer, who worked in the United States from 1892 to 1895, is best known for his symphony From the new world . But his visit to the US is also reflected in his chamber music. In two concerts his ‘ American string quartet ‘ performed and it string quintet American, with two violas.
Sergei Rachmaninov, the Russian who was born 150 years ago, also has a link with the US, where he gave many concerts as a pianist, conducted and eventually settled. On the three concerts dedicated to him, of course, his piano music can be heard, but also other chamber music, such as his songs. “They are not very well known, but they are very special.”
5.Morton Feldman
Paul Komen plays himself in Valthermond For Bunita Marcus , a late piano work (from 1985) by the American Morton Feldman that is rarely performed. “This music is really an adventure. Unlike anything else, a new world. “Time becomes space,” Feldman himself said about it. As a player and listener you have to acquire an attitude towards this music.”
“It is a piece with a very soft dynamic and a lot of silence. It’s not minimal music. Feldman had no system. “I follow my ear,” he said. It is important to listen purely to the sounds. It’s a bit like looking through a microscope. Or like watching clouds change shape very slowly. Important music in a time when there is so little peace and quiet.”
6. New music
In the concert series Young Masters, every day at 5 pm in the Prince Claus Conservatoire, you can hear even more up-and-coming talent, including Master’s students who study in Groningen. There is also a concert with music by composer Catharina Clement. “I think it is important that young composers have playing opportunities. I would like to expand that in the future.”
That is not self-evident in the classical music world, in which new music is not often programmed. “We have an exemplary audience. Our visitors are much more progressive and open minded than the public in the Randstad. That makes it possible to do things like this.”