Eric Whitacre

The Sacred Veil by Eric Whitacre

Programme

  • Toek Numan 3 haiku
  • Eric Whitacre The sacred veil (Dutch premiere)

After a successful earlier performance at the Matinee, "classic pop star" Eric Whitacre returns to the Great Broadcasting Choir. Now with the extensive The Sacred Veil.

Memento mori' by Eric Whitacre
For choral enthusiasts, composer/conductor Eric Whitacre has the status (and looks) of a pop star. The typical Whitacre sound is the secret of his success: his work is accessible yet contemporary, and therefore appeals to a large group of music lovers. For The Sacred Veil, Whitacre collaborated with his childhood friend and longtime poet Charles Anthony Silvestri. In his lyrics, Silvestri incorporates the illness and untimely death of his wife Julie; the personally-tinged poems recount the emotions, struggles and road to her passing - like a memento mori.

Toek Numan: peace with haikus
Japanese poet Basho's timeless haikus formed the basis for Toek Numan's choral work 3 Haiku. The Dutch composer selected poems around the theme of "peace" - rich, catchy images, almost textual photographs, is how Numan calls the age-old texts. It is his wish that with this music, the listener can let himself be carried away for a moment on the stream of his own associations, feelings and thoughts.

Date:
Saturday 25 February 2023
Time:
2:15 pm
Intermission:
No
Location:
The Royal Concertgebouw

Amsterdam
-
Large Hall

Performers

Musicians from the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Eric Whitacre
Conductor
Netherlands Radio Choir
Choir
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Esther Doornink
Marimba
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Ellen Versney
Harp
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Quirine Viersen
Cello
Nicolas van Poucke
Piano

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