Netherlands Wind Ensemble plays 9th Beethoven in collaboration with Consensus Vocalis and local choirs: All Together!

From Thursday 23 January The Netherlands Wind Ensemble (NBE) plays 9th Beethoven. The tour will take in venues in Amsterdam, Enschede, Tilburg, Wageningen, Drachten, Oss, Utrecht, Heerlen, Haarlem and Arnhem.

In this great Beethoven year, the NBE chooses one of his most iconic works: the ninth symphony, with its famous ode Ode to Joy, to lyrics by Friedrich Schiller. In the political turmoil of around 1800, it was clear where Beethoven's sympathies lay: he was a declared supporter of the French Revolution and embraced the ideals of universal equality, freedom and fraternity. Having already turned the entire symphonic genre on its head, especially with his third (Eroica), fifth, sixth (Pastoral) and seventh, in his ninth and final symphony he added to it by completely breaking open the boundaries of the genre and introducing the human voice. It was not a gimmick, but an ultimate artistic necessity. Soloists and choir literally shout out the message: "be embraced, millions!

Bart Schneemann, oboist and artistic director of the NBE:
The Ninth has lost nothing of its eloquence in the past centuries, but of course we will mould such a piece to our will, we will make it more transparent. We had a new, contemporary English text written and the NBE plays the music in individual parts, each of the sixteen wind instruments getting its own voice. The finale with the 30-member choir is enhanced by singers from all sorts of different cultures. Turkish, Surinamese, you name it. All these ethnicities form a cross-section of the Dutch population, together they embody the idea of Beethoven's fraternisation.'

Playlist:
DO 23 JAN AMSTERDAM PODIUM MOZAÏEK pre-premiere with pupils of mundus college from amsterdam-west, in collaboration with local choir 'elzabad voices',
VR 24 JAN ENSCHEDE MUSIC CENTER i.c.w. local choir 'stedelijk koor enschede'
SEA 25 JAN TILBURG THEATERS TILBURG i.c.w. local choir 'tilburgs vocaal ensemble'
SO 26 JAN HELMOND THE SPEELHUIS i.c.w. local choir 'vivace'
DI 28 JAN WAGENINGEN JUNUSHOFF i.s.m. local choir 'wmk el mundo'
WO 29 JAN DRACHTEN DE LAWEI i.s.m. local choir 'kleinkunstkoor drachten'
DO 30 JAN OSS DE LIEVEKAMP i.c.w. local choirs 'osse opera' and 'capella ducis'
SO 02 FEB UTRECHT TIVOLIVREDENBURG i.c.w. local choir 'chamber choir jip'
DI 04 FEB HEERLEN PARKSTAD LIMBURG THEATERS i.c.w. local choir 'coda'
WO 05 FEB AMSTERDAM PARADISO i.c.w. local choir 'elzabad voices'
SO 01 MRT HAARLEM PHILHARMONIE i.c.w. local choir 'vocal group de cantantes' and 'four beers and a Diet Coke'
SO 15 MRT ARNHEM MUSIS in collaboration with local choirs 'world women's choir' and 'wmk el mundo'

About the Netherlands Wind Ensemble:
The Nederlands Blazers Ensemble (NBE) is a group of more than twenty top musicians who come together some eighty times a year to perform exceptional programmes at home and abroad. Collective inspiration and hunger for adventure drive the NBE to create theatrical music programmes that can rarely be captured under a single musical denominator; the NBE combines contemporary and early music of all shapes and sizes that stimulates the senses and imagination. The NBE is always looking for intriguing collaborations with musicians from other cultures and exciting combinations with other disciplines. With its innovative programmes, the NBE aims to surprise, captivate, move and excite a large audience.