Steve Reich 90 - The Desert Music

Nederlands Kamerkoor, HIIIT, Het Muziek, New European Ensemble & Ensemble Klang

Sun 4 Oct / 20:15

Sun 4 Oct ’26

20:15

Sun 4 Oct ’26

20:15

Concertzaal

Past event

The Desert Music by Steve Reich is an impressive choral and orchestral work that connects poetic language with the threat and uncertainty of its time. The title and texts are taken from William Carlos Williams, whose words Reich shaped into one vast, breathing soundscape based on his collection The Desert Music and Other Poems.

Programme

Anne-Maartje Lemereis Lumen II
Steve Reich Pieces of Wood
Steve Reich The Desert Music

Yet there is more behind that landscape: Reich deliberately chose texts from Williams' post-Hiroshima and Nagasaki period, a time when ‚'the bomb' hung over the world like a shadow. The music reveals how human dreams and desires collide with the questions raised by our conscience, a tension that lies at the heart of The Desert Music. ‚"The desert' remains ambiguous throughout - a real place, an inner emptiness, or a vision of the future.

Celebration 90th birthday Steve Reich
Led by the Hague concert hall Amare, the ensembles NKK, Klang, HIIIT, New European Ensemble and Het Muziek join forces to celebrate his 90th birthday with a performance of his magnum opus Desert Music. During the day, the Netherlands Chamber Choir hosts its “Sing Day,” open to anyone who wishes to participate and register via the NKK website. In the evening, the Hague Toonkunst Choir surprises visitors in the foyer with a work by Anne-Maartje Lemereis (former Composer of the Netherlands), in which they enter the concert hall together with the audience while singing.

Cloakroom and drink 
Cloakroom and an intermission drink are included. If the event does not have an intermission, you will receive the drink afterwards. 

Part of

Steve Reich

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Het Muziek © Tom Ten Seldam

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New European Ensemble © Rob Overmeer

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HIIT

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Ensemble Klang © Michel Mees

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Steve Reich

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Nederlands Kamerkoor © Mark Stokmans

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Ooievaarspas discount 
Ooievaarspas holders are eligible for a discount on the ticket price for this concert. To book tickets, we need to see your Ooievaarspas for registration purposes. Please contact our booking office to book your tickets. 

Made possible with the support of the Reinbert de Leeuw Foundation