Discover Benelux | Netherlands | Top festivals, exhibitions & events 2016
Helene Grimaud at the Deutsche Grammophon. Photo: © Mat Hennek DG
Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw was first opened in 1888. Photo: © Leander Lammertink
San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Photo: © Govert Driessen
Something for everyone at Robeco SummerNights TEXT: EMMIE COLLINGE
Few venues in the world can compete with Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw in terms of popularity and reputation. First opened in 1888, it has both heritage and harmonics in abundance as well as a knack for introducing new audiences to classical and jazz music by fusing these less contemporary genres with pop culture, film music, and even yoga. This initiative runs throughout July and August and goes by the name of the Robeco SummerNights. For two months every summer, Amsterdam resonates on the global music scene as The Concertgebouw invites top-flight musicians from the Netherlands and beyond to perform at its annual Robeco SummerNights. A concept fine-tuned over the past 27 summers, its initial launch with ten classical music concerts was met with broad acclaim: “Back in the 1980s, the trend was for all the theatres 90 | Issue 31 | July 2016
and concerts halls to close during summer,” explains Saskia Roggeveen from the esteemed venue. “Since the very first edition in 1988, our approach with Robeco has always been to create an accessible programme of high-quality performances at a fair price for a wider public.” From purely classical roots, more diversity crept onto the schedule, with jazz cementing its position in 2006 with the launch of the Jazz Club. Kicking off on 1 July with Kyteman and his orchestra’s jam session – a fusion of jazz, hip-hop, opera and minimal sounds – the Robeco SummerNights has a packed and eclectic calendar of more than 80 concerts curated by Anita Crowe. Divided into four accessible subcategories (Adventure, Dreams, Déjà Vu, and Romance), the programme entices visitors with everything from classical quartets to pulsating pop, the
Beach Boys to Bach, and Tchaikovsky to the Beatles, with performances by renowned orchestras, soloists and choirs. This two-month long event sees tradition gives way to wonderfully off-beat offerings such as Roggeveen’s cherrypicked highlight on 12 and 13 August when the regular seating plan in the main hall is scrapped in favour of a spectacular central podium, comfy picnic rugs, jazz club-style casual chairs and the space is repurposed for yoga and a more laissezfaire approach to classical music. With accessibility and enjoyment as its main tenets, this year’s spell of eclecticism at the Robeco SummerNights goes hand in hand with electrifying DJ sets, refreshing aperitifs and indulgent meals at the SummerNights pop-up restaurant. www.concertgebouw.nl/robeco-summernights-2016