Battle & Reconciliation – String Orchestra

An evening of string orchestra music from the Baroque to the Romantic period
From the clamour of the battlefield to a silent prayer, and from deep contemplation to radiant joy: this concert takes you on a musical journey through three centuries of string orchestra music.

The programme‘
’ The concert opens with Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber’s ‘Battalia à 10’, a surprisingly idiosyncratic work from the seventeenth century which, using unusual playing techniques, evokes the sound of an army on the march, including the clamour of drunken soldiers and the silence after the battle.

This is followed by Max Bruchs’ Kol Nidrei, a deeply moving work for cello and string orchestra, inspired by a Jewish liturgical melody. The music offers a moment of tranquillity and reconciliation, centred around the warm sound of the soloist.

The concert concludes with Antonín Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings in E major, one of the best-known and most melodious works for string orchestra. With romantic melodies, dance-like rhythms and warm tones, this piece provides a radiant finale to the evening.

The musicians
The orchestra is led by Mihai Cocea (viola) and Hiroyuki Yamazaki (double bass), both of whom are artistic directors and soloists, and hold positions as principal lecturers at Conservatorium Maastricht. Helena De Bruyn (viola) is also part of the programme. She is active as a chamber musician and orchestral musician in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Admission to the concert is free.