New Dutch compositions at the Residentie Orkest
Since the founding of the Residentie Orkest in 1904, the orchestra has been breaking a lance for contemporary works with in particular compositions of Dutch origin. In the coming years, too, exciting new creations initiated by the Residentie Orkest.
New music occupies a special place at the Residentie Orkest. Already in the early years, works by Utrecht composer, conductor and organist Johan Wagenaar were regularly on the desks, as well as by former chief conductor Peter van Anrooy. Since the orchestra's founding in 1904, almost all of its chief conductors paid structural attention to Dutch contemporaries. Founder Henri Viotta, the already mentioned Peter van Anrooy and especially Willem van Otterloo (chief conductor from 1949-1973) thus laid the foundation that continues to this day.
From Andriessen to Van Vlijmen
Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the Residentie Orkest further built its reputation as an interpreter of new compositions. Works by well-known or less well-known ('contemporary') Dutch composers such as Alphons Diepenbrock, Matthijs Vermeulen, Sem Dresden, Hendrik Andriessen, Willem Pijper, Henk Badings, Hans Henkemans, Lex van Delden, Léon Orthel, Hans Kox and Louis Andriessen were regularly programmed. Under guest conductors Bruno Maderna and Pierre Boulez, groundbreaking concerts by composers such as Goffredo Petrassi, Arnold Schönberg and Luigi Nono, Peter Schat, Jan van Vlijmen and Reinbert de Leeuw took place. With these compositions and conductors, the orchestra also toured festivals of contemporary music in Darmstadt and Venice. These programs gave the Residentie Orkest the reputation of being one of the most progressive orchestras in the Netherlands.
In 1979, the Residentie Orkest received an Edison for the LP 400 Years of Dutch Music. This album, which sold 24,000 copies in a short time, featured repertoire ranging from Pieter Hellendaal to Guus Janssen. A second album included compositions by Carolus Hacquart, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck through Willem de Fesch and Christiaan Ernst Graf to Ton de Leeuw, Otto Ketting and Louis Andriessen.
Pictured: Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus view the cassette gramophone records 400 Years of Dutch Music (1979).
The Council for Culture praised Residentie Orkest several times for its commitment to the music of Dutch soil. Also in the Last advice of the Council for Culture (on the 2021-2024 policy period), the Council for Culture indicated that it "applauds the orchestra's multiple composition commissions per year, including the commission to Richard Rijnvos for the opening of Amare'.
In recent years, Residentie Orkest 's active commitment to new music has continued unabated (with challenges in the 2020-2022 period due to coronagraphs). The orchestra invests in both new music and renewal of classical music practice and does so in close cooperation with principal conductor Anja Bihlmaier and regular guest conductors Jun Märkl and Richard Egarr. The programming of new work stems from its own programming, cooperation with partners in The Hague and talent development policies.
"The Residentie Orkest has traditionally had a very big name in the field of new contemporary orchestral works and with that practice sets a wonderful example for many other orchestras!"
- Martijn Padding - composer, pianist, head of composition Royal Conservatoire The Hague
World premieres
Over the past period, the orchestra's own programming included quite a few world premieres. Naturally, the One Minute Symphonies, written by composition students at Royal Conservatoire The Hague, were performed at several concerts. In addition, the orchestral suite from Otto Kettings opera Ithaka was performed for the first time, the corona postponed premiere of Martijn Padding's Cello Concerto No. 2 with soloist Matt Haimovitz, the premiere of the Cello Concerto Trailblazer that Joël Bons wrote for cellist Lidy Blijdorp and the Residentie Orkest, the new work Perasma by Calliope Tsoupaki and the Piano Concerto No. 3 by Rembrandt Frerichs that saw the light of day at the Nieuwe Kerk.
New Dutch work in the coming years
In the coming years, the Residentie Orkest will continue the policy of providing space for the performance of new compositions. As an orchestra, we have a maker function, a role in talent development and a heritage function in which we allow composers of today to reflect on works of the past. It is a logical continuous mill in which existing and new work interact. In both 2024 and 2025, new compositions are planned by such composers as Bram Kortekaas, Max Knigge, Amarante Nat, Jan-Peter de Graaff, Karmit Fadael, Klaas de Vries and Willem Jeths. In mid-March 2024, the Residentie Orkest , led by chief conductor Anja Bihlmaier, will perform the world premiere of a concert for accordion and orchestra by Mathilde Wantenaar in Amsterdam and The Hague, featuring Vincent van Amsterdam on accordion.
New Dutch Work is supported by Fonds Podiumkunsten and Société Gavigniès.