News

Succesful Tenso Days

26.10.2009

The press wrote of the opening concert, given jointly by the Nederlands Kamerkoor and Cappella Amsterdam:

“Bright, clear singing during Tenso Days.

In Jolivet’s ode to love, the stirring text ( his own ) forms a powerful unity with the richness of the sound language. Conducted by Risto Joost from Estonia, the members of the Nederlands Kamerkoor spoke this language as if the work had been composed for them. (...) This same vocal clarity worked wonders in Messiaen’s vehement ‘rechants’, in which the robust solos sounded superb.”
- De Telegraaf, Frederike Berntsen, 19.10.09

“The 20th-century choir is like an orchestra.

The emancipation of the choir was undoubtedly one of the most interesting musical developments of the previous century. (...) Amongst other things it was evident in a performance of Olivier Messiaen’s Cinq rechants (1948), performed with elation and strong rhythm by the Nederlands Kamerkoor. The relatively unknown Epithalame (1953) by the unjustly unknown Frenchman André Jolivet (1905-1974) came as a pleasant surprise. His self-written text is not of a high quality, but the choir was able to glory in the music, with rhythmically growling basses, piercing female voices and well-balanced chords.” – NRC, Jochem Valkenburg, 17.10.09

(Nederlands Kamerkoor o.l.v. Risto Joost, foto: Ben van Duin.)

On the Sunday afternoon (18 October) each of the Tenso choirs performed a short work from its repertoire with its own conductor, after which they all joined in singing Schönberg’s Friede auf Erden (1907), conducted by Daniel Reuss, thus concluding the festival on a note as impressive as it was idealistic.

Other Tenso activities

Running parallel to the concerts, a whole range of other events took place in the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, involving amateurs and professionals, singers and listeners. Connie Palmen and Arthur Sonnen delivered brief but probing lectures about, respectively, the loneliness involved in the creative process, and the pros and cons of a ‘canon’ as a guideline for identity.
At the same time, in the bright and spacious foyer of the Muziekgebouw, with a view out onto the ever-changing colours and sights of the Ij, amateur choirs were singing their 20th-century repertoire for each other and the assembled audience. Several of these choirs were also selected to sing in the large hall, where they performed a short piece, written for the occasion by Leo Samama, conducted by one of the conductors of the renowned Tenso choirs.
In a somewhat quieter hall, James Wood was poring over the latest choral works of young composers from home and abroad, and giving them some tips on the often tricky technique of writing for a cappella choir.
Because so many choirs were present in Amsterdam, this festival was the ideal opportunity for some brainstorming with the choirs’ managers and programmers and with interested parties from official organisations from as far apart as Stockholm and Ljubljana, Tallinn and Marseilles, the subjects under discussion being the future of professional choral singing, the social responsibilities of choirs and choral singers, the educational options and what sort of role therein might be played by Tenso Network Europe, as a professional platform. In barely five years Tenso Network Europe has developed into an important podium and a think tank of some stature. The next Tenso Days will take place in Oslo in September 2010.