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

South America and Egypt: Richard Rijnvos and Camille Saint-Saëns were inspired by 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 works like the baroque masters in bundles. 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 parts have been completed: Asia, North America and Antarctica on this programme 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 an extremely strict man: 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 a quarter of an hour more music and tells the story of Belle and the Beast. It is the most accessible work that Dutilleux left behind. Beautifully written.