“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.
In this programme, alto Myra Kroese discusses the wide range of the choir’s repertoire, from ancient and medieval music to the avant-garde works of contemporary musicians. The Netherlands Chamber Choir has worked with numerous prominent guest conductors like Simon Rattle, and many modern composers have written music for the choir. Kroese discusses with Hélène Michaud how “shocking” it was, in fact, to discover the work of François Poulenc (1899-1963), whose anguish-ridden wartime composition “Liberté”, from “Figure Humaine”, is featured in this programme.
Producer: Hélène Michaud
Broadcast: November 15, 2002