Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra – Michael Sanderling, conductor – Barbara Hannigan, soprano

In this programme, which features an exciting mix of classical and contemporary music, women take centre stage. The Irish composer Gerald Barry’s short opera La plus forte is about an encounter between two women, the lover and wife of the same man. While one is silent, the other is consumed by conflicting emotions. Barbara Hannigan, who is well acquainted with the composer, sang the 2007 world premiere of this work, written specially for her, and is sure to sparkle here, too, in the Dutch premiere.
The woman central to Beethoven’s opera Leonore is a true heroine. In the exciting plot, she rescues her lover from certain death. A woman also played a key role in the genesis of Schumann’s Fourth Symphony. Clara Schumann worked tirelessly to promote her husband and his music. When his new symphony, the second one he wrote, ended in a fiasco in 1841, she encouraged him to revise the work.

The Meeting
Saturday and Monday, 7.40 p.m. Don’t miss this perfect opportunity to talk to our musicians face-to-face before the concert. They will be spread out through the hall, onstage and in the foyers.