“Classic Dutch” is a panorama of classical music, composed or performed in the Netherlands through the centuries. Most of the music in this series was selected from among the huge wealth of recordings made by Radio Netherlands’ Music Department. In each programme, presenter Hélène Michaud speaks with a guest conductor, composer or music performer.
For Johannette Zomer, music was a hobby, and she worked as a biochemist for some years, until the calling was finally heard, and she gave in to her great love. Baroque music was “like coming home”. As Zomer explains, she has a special passion for German baroque, which fits her like a glove, she says, perhaps because of her Calvinist background. But this is not just about straightforward no-nonsense Protestantism, as you can hear in her performances of Buxtehude and Bach.
Producer: Hélène Michaud
Broadcast: December 25, 2004