Wednesday 5 August 2015

Istanbul Music Festival Success

Delivering all sold-out performances on their June 2015 tour to Turkey, Simon Murphy and The Hague's Baroque orchestra, The New Dutch Academy (NDA), appeared at the 43rd Istanbul Music Festival performing their internationally successful concert programme “Bach and his Dutch Contemporaries”. Other festival-artists included Magdalena Kožená, Arabella Steinbacher, Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists, Sol Gabetta, Yuja Wang, Kim Kashkashian, and The Borodin String Quartet. Murphy and the NDA performed at the Palais de Hollande (1612) in the historical heart of Istanbul.

Created by international award-winning conductor Murphy, the programme celebrates the richness, inventiveness and enormous variety present in the music of the 17th and 18th centuries – particularly in the music of Bach and in the musical gems written by his Dutch contemporaries. Delivering an intimate and personal musical experience, Murphy offers a captivating view of the cosmopolitan European music scene of the period, brought to life in an authentic, immediate, personal and dynamic sound-scape.

Murphy has performed the programme in various forms throughout Europe on the festival circuit, including at the prestigious Bachfest Leipzig in 2010. In 2006, Murphy toured the programme to Australia, with highly successful subsequent tours to Canada and the US in 2007 and 2009, and Hong Kong and China in 2014.  In 2013, at home in The Hague, Murphy and the NDA were invited to perform a very special version of the programme for the Dutch Council of State and the Dutch royal family (pictured below).

The programme features breathtaking Dutch Baroque works by Hacquart – a member of the Huygens circle and the composer of the very first opera written in Dutch – as well as by The Hague statesman Van Wassenaer, by Handel’s Dutch concertmaster De Fesch, and by Schickhardt from his revolutionary L’Alphabet de la musique, a collection of 24 sonatas with one appearing in each (!) of the musical keys.

Alongside the Dutch works, German star Soprano Gudrun Sidonie Otto sang classic Bach arias such as “Bist du bei mir” and “Schlummert ein”, and Handel’s beautifully rejuvenating spring aria “Meine Seele hört im Sehen”, and recorder virtuoso Elisabeth Champollion performed Vivaldi's sopranino concerto in C (RV 443). For the Istanbul Music Festival performance, Murphy also included music by Bach's flautist PG Buffardin and by Bach's brother JJ Bach, both residents of Istanbul in the early 18th century.

During the tour, the NDA also give a special concert performance for embassy guests in Ankara at the newly opened Erimtan Museum in co-operation with the Ankara Festival. Simon Murphy was a guest of Turkish State Radio. The tour was supported by the Embassy and Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, at the invitation of the Istanbul Music Festival.



Video and audio links "Bach and his Dutch Contemporaries" 

Istanbul Music Festival Website
Murphy and NDA Live in Concert, Video
Murphy and NDA Live in Concert, Audio
Programme Background
43rd Istanbul Music Festival Media Info


NDA Line-up, Turkey Tour 2015

Simon Murphy, musical director and Baroque viola
Gudrun Sidonie Otto, soprano
Elisabeth Champollion, recorders
Rachael Beesley and Paula Perez, Baroque violin
Aleksandra Renska, Baroque cello
Karl Nyhlin, Baroque guitar and theorbo

Greek Mega Diva Headlines Murphy's Festival Line Up

Fresh from her triumphs at the BBC Proms and Salzburger Festspiele, Greek soprano Myrsini Margariti headlines Simon Murphy's classical stage programme at the Netherlands' Embassy Festival in The Hague this September 5th.

                       


Video

Dripping with Mediterranean sensuality, the svelte Greek diva has taken the international press' collective breath away with “her sonorous, youthful voice”, “artful agility” and “delightful virtuoso climaxes”. Accompanied by celebrated Greek pianist and conductor Zoe Zeniodi, Myrsini Margariti performs music from her enthusiastically received new solo album with works by Puccini, Mendelssohn, Grieg, da Falla, Gounod, Mozart and Dvorak, complimented by new music by contemporary Greek composers Theodorakis and Hatzidakis, in a highly personal recital programme, On Wings of Song.

Further in the star-studded 2015 festival line-up: Dutch "harp heroine" Gwyneth Wentink performs a dynamic solo programme entitled Style Wars contrasting music by Bach and the American minimalist Terry Riley, Trinidad-born soprano Nicole Jordan explores the rich, vibrant and diverse musical traditions of Spain and the Caribbean in Goddess of the Wind, and acclaimed Georgian concert pianist Nino Gvetadze (pictured below) performs music from her acclaimed new Debussy album. Silk-road masters Arifa close the proceedings with a hauntingly beautiful musical journey bridging the Orient and Occident with Caravan.

             


Embassy Festival Classical / Jazz Programme

Held annually in the beautiful, historic centre of The Hague, the Netherlands' Embassy Festival is a vibrant and cosmopolitan celebration of the world's musical and culinary arts.

Curated and presented by Dutch-based Australian conductor and violist Simon Murphy (Sydney, 1973), the festival's classical/jazz stage features a rich variety of musical styles performed by leading international musicians in a series of concert programmes of music from 5 continents with repertoire spanning 5 centuries.

Murphy's previous festival editions featured Dutch musical superstars harpist Lavinia Meijer, flautist Felicia van den End, and violinist Frederieke Saeijs, Australian classical saxophonist Amy Dickson, Swedish lute virtuoso Karl Nyhlin, German star-soprano Gudrun Sidonie Otto, Norwegian accordionist and ECM recording-artist Frode Haltli, Germany's Boreas Quartett, award-winning Canadian soprano Stefanie True, U.S. pianist Bobby Mitchell and soprano Julia Kogan, and the Netherlands' Rembrandt Frerichs Trio.

This year's programme again offers audiences a delectable and captivating array of musical styles, from fiery European operatic master-works, delicate, to French impressionist musical portraits, to dynamic, modern, new world composition. Music for the ears, eyes, heart, soul and mind.

Festival Location and Atmosphere

A stone's throw away from the city's historic concert halls, opera houses and art galleries, the tree-lined boulevard of The Hague's Lange Voorhout makes the perfect backdrop for the Embassy Festival's international classical and jazz programme. In this inspiring festival setting, along cobblestone streets once walked by Mozart, Beethoven and Dussek, modern audiences now have the opportunity to savour some of the world's most exciting contemporary performers in a series of engaging concert presentations. Other festival offerings include culinary delights from around the world, theatre, street art and more.

Festival Details

Embassy Festival, Lange Voorhout (outside), The Hague
Saturday 5 September 2015, 12:00 to 21:00
(Classical Programme 12:30 to 17:30)
Entrance FREE!

www.embassyfestival.com

Festival organiser is Prooost in partnership with the city of The Hague. The Embassy Festival is part of The Hague's festive, cultural season's opening weekend “48 uur van Den Haag” (48 hours of The Hague)

For further information on conductor Simon Murphy's other projects and performing activities, visit:
www.simonmurphyconductor.com

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Embassy Festival 2015

Full Programme: Classical / Jazz Section 

A stone's throw away from the city's historic concert halls, opera houses and art galleries, the tree-lined boulevard of The Hague's Lange Voorhout makes the perfect backdrop for The Embassy Festival's classical and jazz programme.

Throughout the centuries, this magical location has witnessed the presence of legendary international artists, composers and performers, including Mozart, Dussek and Beethoven. Now, in this inspiring festival setting, audiences have the opportunity to savour some of Europe and the world's most exciting contemporary performers in engaging concerts celebrating the vitality and diversity of European musical culture.

Curated by Australian conductor and resident of The Hague Simon Murphy, the festival's classical/jazz stage features a rich variety of musical styles performed by leading international musicians in an engaging series of concert programmes.


Nino Gvetadze, piano
First Impressions
12:30

Video

Tbilisi born, international award-winning Georgian piano virtuoso Nino Gvetadze has been described as “a sensation!” by the German press, and as “a born pianist, gifted with the rare ability to speak to the heart” by the Netherlands' NRC. Hailed for her refined and polished performance, she performs an intimate recital of piano works from her recent solo album focussing on the delectably aromatic/fragrant musical palette of French master-impressionist Debussy.  www.ninogvetadze.com


Nicole Jordan, soprano
Goddess of the Wind
13:30

Ancient spiritual traditions of the Yoruba are still proudly practised in Trinidad and Tobago. Orisha, like the people themselves, has been mixed and blended to include many influences from all over the world, but the roots remain unchanged. Presenting classical music from many lands including Trinidad, Spain, France and Canada, soprano Nicole Jordan and pianist Celia García-García describe the power and influence of Oya, the Orisha goddess of the Wind.  www.nicolejordan.info


Gwyneth Wentink, harp
Style Wars
14:30

Winner of the Princess Christina Competition, Gwyneth Wentink, has been branded the “harp heroine” by national Dutch newspaper NRC. With her “playing coming straight from the heart”, the international press has been equally enthusiastic. “Gwyneth Wentink is a splendid harpist with a virtuoso's flair and technique. She knows how to exploit every resource of her instrument, tossing off delicate rippling arpeggios, furious cascades, whirlwind runs and remarkably sonorous, ringing harmonics” (NY Concert Review). For the Embassy Festival, Gwyneth presents a dazzling programme of solo harp classics including works by Fauré and Debussy, balancing cutting-edge modern works by Terry Riley and others.  www.gwynethwentink.nl


Myrsini Margariti, soprano
On Wings of Song
15:30

Video

Dripping with Mediterranean sensuality, svelte Greek soprano Myrsini Margariti has taken the international press' collective breath away with “her sonorous, youthful voice”, “artful agility” and “delightful virtuoso climaxes”. Whether “threading delicate lines, singing with attack or brilliant coloratura relish”, Myrsini exudes vitality and an electrifying dynamism, doing so in an impressively broad repertoire. Fresh from her triumphs at the BBC Proms and the Salzburger Festspiele, Myrsini presents a captivating, soaring musical adventure On Wings of Song.

Accompanied by celebrated Greek pianist and conductor Zoe Zeniodi, Myrsini's programme includes works from her new solo album with songs and arias by Puccini, Mendelssohn, Grieg, da Falla, Gounod, Mozart and Dvorak, complimented by new music by contemporary Greek composers Theodorakis and Hatzidakis.  www.myrsinimargariti.com  www.zoezeniodi.com


Arifa
Caravan
16:50

“Enticing and melancholic”, Dutch national newspaper NRC described Arifa's rich, intimate and hauntingly beautiful musical tapestries as “Meticulous, almost cinematographic soundscapes”. In the wake of their successful albums, Beyond Babylon and Anatolian Alchemy, Arifa make their debut at the Embassy Festival with a programme presenting a fascinating bridge of sounds between Orient and Occident. Join Arifa for a captivating, magical and mystical musical journey along the silk road.  www.arifamusic.com


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Programming and Presentation by Simon Murphy, 2015
www.simonmurphyconductor.com

250 Years of Mozart in The Hague

Simon Murphy has been commissioned by the Netherlands' Prinsjesfestival to create and perform a special festival programme commemorating the arrival of WA Mozart in The Hague exactly 250 years ago this September.

The performances will take place in the Senate (Eerste Kamer) of the Dutch parliament, one of the locations where Mozart performed during his visit to the cosmopolitan court city of The Hague.

The honour follows Murphy's pioneering work unearthing and championing the Dutch 18th century Symphonic School, including his first recordings of works by Schmitt, Graaf and Zappa.

Murphy was appointed as inaugural music curator to the Prinsjesfestival in 2013.