Simon Murphy and members of The Hague's Baroque Orchestra, The New Dutch Academy (NDA), have given a special concert performance for Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, HRH Princess Beatrix, Vice President Piet Hein Donner, and the members of the Dutch Council of State. The concert took place in the Gothic Hall of the Council of State in The Hague on December 4.
Curated by Murphy, the hand-tailored programme featured intimate 17th and 18th century musical works with a special relationship with the House of Orange and the buildings of the Council of State. The evening's soloists included German soprano Gudrun Sidonie Otto, Australian recorder virtuoso Amy Power and American cellist Caroline Kang with music by Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, van Wassenaer and Graaf. Murphy directed the performance from the viola and also performed as soloist in Telemann's Viola Concerto. More info (link to Royal House website)
The concert was the 6th occasion that Dutch-based Australian conductor and violist Simon Murphy (40) has performed for Princess Beatrix.
One of his earlier concert performances for (the then) Queen Beatrix was in Rome in 2004 at the Palazzo Quirinale in a concert celebrating the rich historical traditions of cultural exchange between the Netherlands and Italy. Curated and conducted by Murphy, and broadcast live by the RAI, the programme centred around Corelli's iconic Concerti Grossi, works first printed by the 18th century Amsterdam-based music publisher Roger. The Rome performance followed Murphy's ground-breaking 2003 Corelli Concerti Grossi CD recording made at the Holland Festival of Early Music Utrecht, recently voted a top 5 highlight of the festival's 30 year history.
The first time Murphy performed for Princess Beatrix was during her state visit to Sydney, Australia in 1988. Murphy was then 14. Since moving to the Netherlands in 1996, Murphy's concerts for members of the Dutch royal family have included both orchestral and chamber music performances, in the Netherlands and abroad.
Listen to Murphy's Rome performance (RAI)
Listen to Murphy's recording of Corelli's Concerti Grossi (PentaTone Classics)
Listen to Murphy's recording of symphonies from the 18th century court of Orange (PentaTone Classics)
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