Due to the ongoing closure of the concert hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam presents four new editions of the Empty Concertgebouw Sessions with the support of main sponsor Van Lanschot Kempen. A varied line-up will perform.
Host Floris Kortie is responsible for the presentation of the concerts and short interviews with the artists.
The Empty Concertgebouw Sessions can be followed via the website, the YouTube channel and the Facebook page of the Concertgebouw. All sessions can also be viewed on our website.
The beloved Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla would have turned 100 on 11 March. Bandoneonist Carel Kraayenhof is his best-known advocate and interpreter in the Netherlands. With pianist Juan Pablo Dobal he pays tribute to 'his' composer with Decarísimo (1961), Milonga del ángel (1964), La muerte del ángel (1962) and Solitude (1975), listenable below.
Quirine Viersen performs Bach's beloved First Cello Suite. The cellist recorded Bach's cello suites after the birth of her first child in 2010 and again in 2018: 'Bach's music is for me very strongly connected with new life, new beginnings and new energy.'
The celebrated British baritone Roderick Williams will perform a selection of the Songs of Travel by Ralph Vaughan Williams with pianist Daan Boertien. The singer is really looking forward to his performance: 'It's fantastic to be back in Amsterdam and in the Concertgebouw. I grab any opportunity to perform, but this is really perfect: to sing Vaughan Williams in The Concertgebouw!
The concert series from the Concertgebouw's empty Great Hall began three weeks after the first lockdown on April 8, 2020, with a performance by pianist Anna Fedorova. Since then, 75 musicians have performed in 28 Sessions. Highlights include performances by Anna Fedorova, Karsu, Izaline Calister and José James. The complete archive can be viewed on the (Dutch) page Koninklijk Concertgebouw.
Since 2018, Van Lanschot Kempen has been the main sponsor of the Concertgebouw. If you would like to know more, please contact Sander Kloots: +31 6 83 17 50 07; s.kloots@vanlanschotkempen.com.