Phoenix Reborn: Music about climate change

Lawrence Renes conducts a chameleonic programme, from the colourful late romanticism of Schreker and Strauss to the work of John Adams and Tim Kliphuis, in which different musical styles amalgamate.

Modern history and a topical argument
Call it 'enlightened thievery', the organic way in which the American composer John Adams manages to mould the most divergent styles into a unity. In 'The Chairman Dances' from his revolutionary opera Nixon in China, he glues sultry foxtrot music with driving minimal pulsations and a generous dose of Stravinsky. Equally chameleonic is the work of Dutch composer and violinist Tim Kliphuis. In his new triple concert Phoenix Reborn, he mixes classical notes (for cellist Ella van Poucke) with jazz elements (Michiel Borstlap and himself) to create a compelling musical argument about climate change and sustainability.

Schreker's breakthrough and the young Strauss
The Austrian fin-de-siècle composer Franz Schreker worked for almost ten years on his opera Der ferne Klang. The stormy premiere of the masterfully orchestrated interlude from the third act ('Nachtstück') marked his international breakthrough. Schreker's sound world is audibly influenced by Strauss, whose early symphonic poem Don Juan is on the programme.