New podcasts Music Treasures

A scavenger hunt for musical gems from 5 linear miles of sheet music

Last year, as part of the 75th anniversary of the broadcasting ensembles, NTR, NPO Radio 4 and Stichting Omroep Muziek joined forces for the 18-part podcast series Hilversum Music Treasures. From Friday November 25 to December 15, 2022, a new episode in the NPO Radio4 podcast series Het Verhaal (NTR) will be added each week: this time focusing on "light classical music" on the radio.

Podcast maker Frans van Gurp dives into 100 years of radio history with collections specialist Jan Jaap Kassies in search of forgotten musical scores and musical gems. Music whose recordings are no longer available in the public domain. The podcast is the report of that search and ends with a new recording, specially made with the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.

"Huge variety and quality..."

Frans speaks to musicians and connoisseurs who shed new light on the composer and the work. The speakers include Philomeen Lelieveldt (curator of the Netherlands Music Institute collection), Jan Jaap Kassies (collection specialist at Muziekschatten), musicologist Elmer Schönberger and Composer of the Fatherland Martin Fondse. Thus, the podcast sheds new light on the last 75 years of Dutch composed music for radio. In some episodes, one work by one composer takes center stage, and in another the interaction between different works and composers makes for an exciting story. Frans van Gurp: "What surprises me about the Muziekschatten collection is the enormous variety and quality, from pure entertainment to art music and everything in between."

Listen to the trailer of Musical Treasures here. See also our site: https://www.muziekschatten.nl

What is light classical music?

The definition of light classical music has constantly changed over time. After World War II, there is a need for optimistic music on the radio. Thus there is a lot of American repertoire from musicals, performed by dance and jazz orchestras. But figureheads of Dutch 'serious music' also occasionally compose for the radio, some secretly choosing a pseudonym. The concept of 'Light' music becomes even more diffuse when Broadcasters such as AVRO, NCRV and the NRU order specific music for their programs for target groups, so that it is more a case of 'applied music'. Frans van Gurp: "'Entertaining qualitative music' perhaps covers the charge better, because the level of compositions and the level of performance are surprisingly high."

Launching podcast

On Friday, November 25, the podcast will be launched at 5 p.m. in Podium on NPO Radio 4. The new recordings will also be broadcast weekly on NPORadio4 in Podium and Evening Concert. The podcast Hilversum Music Treasures is part of the NTR Podcast Het Verhaal and can be found on https://www.nporadio4.nl/podcasts/verhaal and in your favorite podcast app.

Click here for a list of the podcasts and a brief explanation of them.