The Netherlands and Russia have hailed 2013 as a bilateral year, and the Grachtenfestival is celebrating with a number of special concerts. To mark this Dutch-Russian year, composer Monique Krüs was invited to write a chamber opera for a libretto by Sjoerd Kuyper about the life of Peter the Great, founder of St Petersburg, who toured the Netherlands in 1697 and 1698. This performance features six singers accompanied by an unusual ensemble of piano, string quartet, clarinet and horn, led by a conductor. The language of the opera is English, with a generous sprinkling of Russian and Dutch, told from the perspective of Tsar Peter, who is lying on his deathbed and looks back on his life. The musical director is Jos Groenier.
Tsar Peter the Great senses that his end his near. He is tired, his friends are dead, and then there’s that nagging matter of Willem Mons, on trial for obfuscating government money and, what’s more, rumoured to be having an affair with the tsarina. Reason enough, in short, for Peter to descend into a bout of heavy drinking. But when the night sets in, the ghosts of his past return: his stepsister Sophia, his protector Matvejev, his best friend Lefort and his mistress Anna. In them, Peter sees his life pass by. And when morning dawns, he decides to save the condemned Mons from the chopping block – if only he could stay awake…
This performance is part a partnership in the context of the Netherlands - Russia Year 2013.
This program is supported by Stichting John Kasander
The Tsar, His Wife, Her Lover and...
Friday 23 August / 20:00
Date
Friday 23 August / 20:00
Location
Hermitage Amsterdam
Amstel 51 , 1018 EJ Amsterdam
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Programme: Krüs
Duration: 1 uur
Wheelchair friendly
musicians/ensembles
Arash Roozbehi baritone / Carolina Luppers soprano / Leon van Liere tenor / Maartje Rammeloo soprano / Esther Kuiper mezzo soprano / Tim Maas bass / Hessel Bij de Leij piano / Jan Buizer violin / Danna Paternotte violin / Elsbeth de Jong viola / Teodora Nedyalkova cello / Rolinka Niers clarinet / Aukje Spijksma bassoon / Jos Groenier regie / Monique Krüs composer and musical director
The Netherlands and Russia have hailed 2013 as a bilateral year, and the Grachtenfestival is celebrating with a number of special concerts. To mark this Dutch-Russian year, composer Monique Krüs was invited to write a chamber opera for a libretto by Sjoerd Kuyper about the life of Peter the Great, founder of St Petersburg, who toured the Netherlands in 1697 and 1698. This performance features six singers accompanied by an unusual ensemble of piano, string quartet, clarinet and horn, led by a conductor. The language of the opera is English, with a generous sprinkling of Russian and Dutch, told from the perspective of Tsar Peter, who is lying on his deathbed and looks back on his life. The musical director is Jos Groenier.
Tsar Peter the Great senses that his end his near. He is tired, his friends are dead, and then there’s that nagging matter of Willem Mons, on trial for obfuscating government money and, what’s more, rumoured to be having an affair with the tsarina. Reason enough, in short, for Peter to descend into a bout of heavy drinking. But when the night sets in, the ghosts of his past return: his stepsister Sophia, his protector Matvejev, his best friend Lefort and his mistress Anna. In them, Peter sees his life pass by. And when morning dawns, he decides to save the condemned Mons from the chopping block – if only he could stay awake… This performance is part a partnership in the context of the Netherlands - Russia Year 2013.
This program is supported by Stichting John Kasander
Tsar Peter the Great senses that his end his near. He is tired, his friends are dead, and then there’s that nagging matter of Willem Mons, on trial for obfuscating government money and, what’s more, rumoured to be having an affair with the tsarina. Reason enough, in short, for Peter to descend into a bout of heavy drinking. But when the night sets in, the ghosts of his past return: his stepsister Sophia, his protector Matvejev, his best friend Lefort and his mistress Anna. In them, Peter sees his life pass by. And when morning dawns, he decides to save the condemned Mons from the chopping block – if only he could stay awake… This performance is part a partnership in the context of the Netherlands - Russia Year 2013.
This program is supported by Stichting John Kasander