We are delighted that the world-renowned soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan will conduct the first concert in the In Memoriam Reinbert series. On February 14, 2025, exactly five years after the passing of pianist, composer, and conductor Reinbert de Leeuw, she will lead the Netherlands Chamberchoir and Asko|Schönberg at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ. The program features two of Reinbert's signature works: Via Crucis by Franz Liszt and Jetzt immer Schnee by Sofia Gubaidulina. Hannigan was a protégé, musical partner, and close friend of De Leeuw and was appointed the 'Reinbert de Leeuw' Professor of Music at the Royal Academy of Music in London in 2023. The other concerts in the In Memoriam Reinbert series will be conducted by Peter Dijkstra, chief conductor of the Nederlands Kamerkoor, with whom Hannigan has prepared the program. Paolo Giacometti will perform the piano part.
Marco Borggreve
Barbara Hannigan conducts In Memoriam Reinbert on the fifth anniversary of Reinbert de Leeuw's passing
Barbara Hannigan began her impressive career as a soprano. She performed numerous opera roles and appeared in concert halls worldwide as a soloist with all major orchestras and conductors. At the age of 40, in 2011, she made her debut as a conductor. Since then, she has conducted many orchestras, including the Concertgebouw Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra. She is a principal guest conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. Starting in 2026, she will serve as chief conductor and artistic director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.
In Memoriam Reinbert opens with Liszt's masterpiece Via Crucis, which the Nederlands Kamerkoor recorded with Reinbert in 1987 and for which they were awarded an Edison. Liszt's intense way of the cross serves as a prelude to an extraordinary journey through musical emotions. This journey continues with Jetzt immer Schnee by Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina, a work she composed for Asko|Schönberg and the Nederlands Kamerkoor in 1993. Under the direction of Reinbert de Leeuw, the piece premiered worldwide a year later. In Memoriam Reinbert is a revival of the 2016 production, in which Reinbert performed the piano part and conducted. At that time, the Nederlands Kamerkoor was awarded the Ovatie for this production.
Marco Borggreve
The fact that the concert series begins on February 14 at Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ is no coincidence: this concert hall was Reinbert de Leeuw's 'home base.' Numerous musical works had their (world) premieres there under his direction. He celebrated his 70th, 75th, and 80th birthdays in this venue and gave his very last concert there. The concert will also be performed in Den Bosch, Enschede, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Arnhem, Brussels, and The Hague.
