CANCELLED due to coronavirus - Hannes Minnaar in Saint-Saëns' 'Egyptian' piano concerto

South America and Egypt: Richard Rijnvos and Camille Saint-Saëns drew inspiration from non-European cultures without getting bogged down in exoticism. Conductor Hans Graf combines their work with an early ballet by Henri Dutilleux.

Hannes Minnaar plays Saint-Saëns
Those who travel far can tell many stories. Richard Rijnvos likes to do things on a grand scale and, like the baroque masters, works in collections. The parts are independent, yet show a mutual connection. His latest project is Grand Atlas répresentation du monde universel en sept tableaux musicaux, a cycle that musically maps the Seven Continents. Three volumes have been completed: Asia, North America and Antarctica on this program is the world premiere of part six, focusing on South America.
Camille Saint-Saëns also liked to travel. His Fifth Piano Concerto, played here by Hannes Minnaar, was created in Luxor and has been given the nickname Egyptian. The work owes this name to the second movement, full of exotic-looking melismas.

Belle en het beast by Henri Dutilleux
Henri Dutilleux was extremely strict with himself: he consigned his youthful works to the wastepaper basket. From Le loup, programmed as a ballet in the Holland Festival as recently as 1953, only the suite was performed later. The complete ballet offers fifteen minutes more music and tells the story of Belle and the Beast. It is the most accessible work Dutilleux left behind. Picture-perfect.