Artists in residence 2012

During the Utrecht Early Music Festival 2012, two unique musicians will be artist in residence: Masaaki Suzuki and Harry van der Kamp.

Masaaki Suzuki
‘Since my time spent studying as a student in Amsterdam with Ton Koopman and Piet Kee, I have loved the Netherlands, a country that boasts a fantastic Bach tradition. So it is an honour to be artist in residence at the Utrecht Early Music Festival, the world’s pre-eminent early music festival. In the story of Sweelinck to Bach I will naturally focus on the latter period, together with my Bach Collegium Japan, and in doing so I would like to show audiences that Bach did not exist in isolation. Zelenka, Kuhnau, Pachelbel and Johann Sebastian’s own family: they all made a significant contribution to the richness of the German Baroque. My great wish is to give you the opportunity to enjoy this extraordinary repertoire which is so close to my heart.’

Masaaki Suzuki & Bach Collegium Japan:
za 25 aug: Bach's Musikalisches Opfer
zo 26 aug: Brunch und Bach
wo 29 aug: Magnificat
do 30 aug: Four times Johann

Harry van der Kamp
‘Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck is the composer who has completely fascinated me: he was an unassuming man who, besides composing organ and harpsichord works, fused the late Rennaissance with the early Baroque in a masterly way with his pithy oeuvre of chansons, madrigals, rimes, Cantiones Sacrae and, last but not least, all 150 psalms. In the year of its 450th anniversary,this monument of Dutch music will play a major role in the Early Music Festival. In the space of three concerts I will present his richly varied music in an international context with my Gesualdo Consort Amsterdam. Sweelinck knew his classics and the later classics knew him: his influence extends down through generations of students all the way to Bach.’

Harry van der Kamp & Gesualdo Consort Amsterdam:
vr 24 aug: Schütz and Gabrieli
za 25 aug: Sweelinck's Cantiones Sacrae
di 28 aug: Summer School
vr 31 aug: Sweelinck in Holland
zo 2 sep: Sweelinck and the students of Gabrieli