Arcangelo

Nicolas Altstaedt

Jonathan Cohen

One of the greatest cellists of our time

Program
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Luigi Boccherini Symphony No. 4 in D mimor ‘La Casa del Diavolo’
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Cello Concerto in A minor
Luigi Boccherini Cello Concerto in C G.481
Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 44 ‘Trauer‘

Musicians
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Nicolas Altstaedt cello
Arcangelo
Jonathan Cohen conductor

The Muziekgebouw and the Cello Biennale are bringing one of the greatest and most versatile cellists of our time to Amsterdam: Nicolas Altstaedt. Whether he is playing Bach’s cello suites or performing with lutenist Thomas Dunford and harpsichordist Jonathan Cohen. Tonight, Altstaedt enters into a musical dialogue with Cohen’s ensemble Arcangelo.

It’s not a first. With Arcangelo, Altstaedt previously recorded the complete cello concertos by Boccherini and Carl Philipp Emanuel, Bach’s son. These 18th-century composers were already attuned to the cello’s remarkable expressive range. Arcangelo’s energetic performance of Haydn’s Trauer-Symphony will conclude the evening. Haydn expressed his wish for the Adagio of that symphony to be performed at his funeral.  However, his death during Napoleon’s invasion of Austria likely prevented this from occurring.

Shane Koppers

Cello Biennale Amsterdam

Boccherini and contemporaries

Alexander Warenberg

Maria Warenberg

Jérémie Moreau

Prize winners perform French and Russian sonatas and songs.

Program:
- Nikolaj Mjaskovski: Cello Sonata No. 2 Op. 81
- Francis Poulenc: Sonata for Cello and Piano
- Songs by Sergej Rachmaninov, Pjotr Tsjaikovski, Jules Massenet, Pauline Viardot, Claude Debussy, and Francis Poulenc

Musicians:
- Alexander Warenberg: cello
- Maria Warenberg: soprano
- Jérémie Moreau: piano

A young trio of prize winners presents a program with exclusively Russian and French music. Alexander Warenberg won the first prize and the audience prize at the National Cello Competition. His sister Maria garnered significant acclaim as a laureate of the esteemed Queen Elisabeth Competition of 2023. And in 2018, pianist Jérémie Moreaux, who previously performed with his cellist brother Edgar at the Cello Biennale, won the Concours national de piano ‘les Virtuoses du Cœur’, the French piano equivalent of the National Cello Competition. 

Mjaskovsky wrote his Second cello sonata for the legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, who was highly regarded by many famous composers of his era. Poulenc dedicated his sonata to the French cellist, Pierre Fournier, who together with Rostropovich served on the jury of the 1966 International Tchaikovsky Competition. The songs of Viardot and Massenet offer a unique and beautiful blend of cello and voice.

Poulenc and Mjaskovski

As in previous editions of the Cello Biennale, the Hello Cello Orchestra’s 160 young cellists will be taking the stage during the opening weekend and performing music specially composed for them. The orchestra will be rehearsing in Amstelveen, The Hague, Tilburg and Zwolle ahead of their opening performance.

The Cello Biennale and local partners will be organising Hello Cello Days in four cities around the Netherlands – a mainly free mini-festival for the whole family, including Bach&Breakfast, masterclasses, kids’ performances, workshops, trial lessons and instrument makers. The climax of each Hello Cello Day will be a performance by the Hello Cello Orchestra made up of young cellists from the local area.

Hello Cello Days 2024

Abel Selaocoe

An exciting blend of musical traditions from Cameroon, Ethiopia and Botswana.

Program:
- Michel van der Aa / Abel Selaocoe: New work
- Abel Selaocoe: Tales of Baralong Tribe
- Ben Nobuto: New work
- Johann Sebastian Bach: Excerpts from the Cello Suites

Musicians:
- Abel Selaocoe: cello

Abel Selaocoe’s versatility is undeniable, as he navigates effortlessly between orchestral performances, chamber music, jazz, folk and world music. With his group Chesaba, he captivated audiences at the 2018 Cello Biennale. Together with composer Michel van der Aa, he is working on a new piece in which the sounds of the Central African Baka tribe merge with the melodic richness of Ethiopian music.

The Baka tribe’s vocal, polyphonic music is characterized by its repetitive nature, allowing for considerable rhythmic improvisation. This stands in stark contrast to the complexity of Ethiopian music, which is deeply rooted in unique scales and infused with Eastern and Mediterranean influences. The cello’s sonic palette is expanded through the use of electronics. The result is a composition that weaves together music, stories and theatrical elements.

Tribes!

140-piece zooming orchestra with young cellists from all over the country

Hello Cello Orchestra

Claron McFadden

Cello Octet Amsterdam

A new song cycle by David Lang about love

Program
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David Lang Smoky tunes (world premier)

Musicians
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Cello Octet Amsterdam: Rares Mihailescu, Claire Bleumer, Geneviève Verhage, Esther Torrenga, René van Munster, Sanne van der Horst, Sanne Bijker, Alistair Sung cello 
Claron McFadden sopraan

David Lang writes ‘smoky tunes’ from vanished nightclubs for Cello Octet Amsterdam and the fantastic soprano Claron McFadden. A world premiere by this top composer, inspired by old recordings of Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan who sang about the sorrows of love. David Lang’s texts draw upon the passionate love songs of Guillaume de Machaut, the 14th-century poet and composer who captured the same intensity of longing that centuries later would later be expressed in jazz standards.

The way old love songs keep touching us is similar to how standards work in jazz. Every singer makes their own version and thus brings out a slightly different meaning of the song. ‘All versions are in dialogue with each other and deepen the meaning of all the others’, says David Lang. Claron McFadden is one of the few singers who masters both early and contemporary music and jazz. Her unique ability to bridge diverse musical traditions shines through in David Lang’s new incarnations of these old smoky tunes.

Part of  

Top Cellists

Smokey tunes

Liza Ferschtman

Ivan Karizna

A trio of top musicians perform a French program

Program:
- Claude Debussy: Sonata for cello and piano
- Maurice Ravel: Sonata for violin and cello in G
- Guillaume Conneson: Les chants de l’Agartha
- Olivier Messiaen: Louange à l’éternité de Jésus
- Maurice Ravel: Piano Trio

Musicians:
- Ivan Karizna: cello
- Liza Ferschtman: violin
- Aleksandar Madžar: piano

‘The idea that I should be leaving at once made me get through five months’ work in five weeks! My Trio is finished.’ That’s what Maurice Ravel said when the war broke out in August 1914 and he could be called up for service. This exquisite Piano Trio is brought to life by three top musicians in a truly special performance. They also perform Ravel’s Sonata for violin and cello, which he dedicated to Debussy shortly after his death. The works of Ravel are part of an all-French programme that includes a delightful surprise: Guillaume Conneson’s Chants de l’Agartha for cello and piano. 

Ivan Karizna has a deep connection to France, where he studied cello and lived for over a decade. In 2011, at the age of 19, he won the bronze medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition. At the Cello Biennale in 2024, Karizna delivered a stunning performance of Shostakovich’s First cello concerto. With violinist Liza Ferschtman, his musical soulmate, he has often shared the stage. Tonight, their friend Aleksandar Madžar, an accomplished Serbian pianist and laureate of many international competitions, will be at the piano.

Note:
This concert is also part of the Kick-off day of the Cello Biennale. Further details of that day will follow later in the season.

All about Ravel

Sheku Kanneh-Mason

Isata Kanneh-Mason

Two talented family members play romantic music.

Program:
- Felix Mendelssohn: Cello Sonata No.1 in B-flat
- Nadia Boulanger: Trois pièces pour violoncelle et piano
- Robert Schumann: 5 Stücke im Volkston
- Rebecca Clarke: Cello Sonata

Musicians:
- Sheku Kanneh-Mason: cello
- Isata Kanneh-Mason: piano

2018 was the year of cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Two billion people watched him perform at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle; it was his breakthrough. That year he also made his debut at the Cello Biennale Amsterdam, together with his sister, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason. They have played together since childhood and give recitals worldwide. ‘Immensely engaging players: a star duo is born’, wrote The Independent. 

Felix Mendelssohn also had a brother who played the cello. He dedicated the many works he composed for cello and piano to him, including his first sonata. As a woman composing in the early 20th century, Rebecca Clarke faced considerable prejudice. While her cello sonata is the composer’s own arrangement, it is best known as a sonata for viola. Nadia Boulanger was long recognized mainly as the music teacher of Bernstein, Milhaud, Piazzolla and Glass, but her own compositions are now gaining increasing recognition.

A Family Affair

Spectacle of festival soloists in the setting of a Grand Café.

The final concert of the Cello Biënnale is a 90-minute long festive show featuring all the festival soloists still at the festival, in the setting of a Parisian Grand Café. The musicians surprise the audience and each other with highlights of this Biënnale, with unexpected contributions and unique combinations of musicians.

Cello Coupé

Celloclasses from international conservatoires present themselves accompanied by their teachers who also perform during the Biënnale. 
Young top talents and cello students from The Netherlands and abroad present an hour-long concert programme.

Students around the World

Adam

Maggie

Christie

Eric

Anna

Standard

The National Cello Competition 2024 will take place on November 1st and 2nd at the Main Hall Muziekgebouw. The competition will feature various rounds, including a preliminary round, first round, second round, and final. The repertoire includes works by composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Frédéric Chopin, Gabriel Fauré, Ludwig van Beethoven, Zoltán Kodály, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The competition is open to cellists and offers a platform for young talents to showcase their skills. The jury consists of renowned cellists and musicians. The event is organized by Cello Biënnale Amsterdam.

🎨 Cultural

National Cello Competition 2024

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Cello Biënnale Amsterdam: het grootste cellofestival ter wereld.

De tiende editie vindt plaats van 31 okt - 10 nov 2024 in Muziekgebouw en BIMHUIS Amsterdam

Cello Biennale Amsterdam

100+

September

National Cello Competition 2024