concert archive

September 2024

Monday September 16, 2024 7:30 PM | Royal Conservatory of The Hague

'Intersections' in The Hague

Roctet is celebrating its 8th anniversary! This momentous milestone is also celebrated in The Hague.

Roctet opens the concert with a symphonic poem “Psyché et Éros” by Cesar Franck, in an adaptation by Henk de Vlieger.

This is the prelude to a unique program in which Roctet conservatory student-composers Archie Tulk, Thijmen Krijgsman and Alberto Tombolan connects with the eminent Dutch composer Theo Loevendie, an internationally acclaimed composer, a living legend of Dutch classical music and former teacher at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague.

Before their works, Roctet's musicians will talk to each composer, exchanging experiences they have gained during the composition process.

After the break, the audience is treated to a vibrant masterpiece by the then only 16-year-old Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. The debut CD 'Novoselye/Housewarming'by Roctet, including this string octet, attracted considerable interest, not only from the Dutch media, but also from the international press.

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Thursday September 12, 2024 8:00 PM | Pr. Irenestraat 36, 1077 WX Amsterdam Thomas Church

Muse of the South

Program:

Theo Loevendie 1930* Changes (2024)

Archi Tulk 2003* Fúria (2024)

Max Knigge 1984* De Chroniqueur (2023)

Felix Mendelssohn 1809-1847 Octet opus 20 in E flat 35 (1825)

 

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July 2024

Saturday, July 20, 2024 6:00 PM | Franse Kampweg 2, 's-Gravenland

WonderFeel

 

Program:

  • Theo Loevendie (1930) Changes (2024)
  • George Enescu (1881-1955) Octet for strings in C major, Op.7 (1900)
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Friday 5 July 2024 - Friday 5 July 2024 | Koningslaan 2B Church building Bussum

The fiery spirit of Enescu in Bussum

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Program:

  • Ottorino Respighi: Doppio Quartetto (1900)
  • Theo Loevendie: Changes (2023/2024)
  • George Enescu: String octet op.7 C major (1900)

 

About the pieces of music:
A rarely performed one Doppio Quartetto (written in 1900) by the famous Italian composer Ottorino Respighi will captivate you with its picturesque story. One moment you are on a stormy sea, the next moment you are in a Hungarian pub where our primarius Joris van Rijn enchants you in the 4th movement (Presto all'Ungherese) with a howling 'primas' solo, accompanied by his willing 'gypsy orchestra'.

Masterpiece written in the same year, Octet for Strings, by the Romanian composer George Enescu, is an essential building block in the string octet repertoire. Temperamental, blood-curdling, deeply emotional, delicate, virtuoso and much more. It's a complete emotional rollercoaster and an exciting journey for performers and listeners alike.

A new string octet Changes, composed by one of the most acclaimed Dutch composers, Theo Loevendie, was composed this year especially for Roctet and for this CD.

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June 2024

Saturday 22 June 2024 8:00 PM | Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat 91, Amsterdam

Midsummer8

We join forces with young musicians, student composers, experienced composers/arrangers and the living legend of Dutch classical music, Theo Loevendie.

Come and experience this Midsummer8 concert with us, where Roctet members will talk to the relevant composers. You will get a unique insight into the creative process of composing and performing.

Before the pieces are played, one member of Roctet always talks to the composer in question. In this way we share experiences and insights gained during this process.

 

Midsummer8 program:

 

  • Henk de Vlieger (1953) adaptation (2020) of César Franck's Psyché et Eròs
  • Archie Tulk (2003) FÚRIA (2024) – world premiere
  • Thijmen Krijgsman (2003) Brusque!? (2024) – world premiere
  • Theo Loevendie (1930) Changes (2024) – world premiere
  • Alberto Tombolan (1994) Cr e t t o (2024) – world premiere
  • Max Knigge (1984) The Chronicler (2023)
  • FENNE (2000) One Day (2022) for voice and string octet
  • Kilian Alexander van Rooij (1992) Roctet Scherzo (2020) – world premiere

*this concert was made possible by the AFK (Amsterdam Fund for the Arts)

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Saturday 15 June 2024 11:00 am | Splendor Amsterdam

'Day of the Composer'

Julija Hartig – violin
Roctet – string octet
Florian Magnus Maier – composer
Max Knigge – composer

Julija will talk to the two composers after the performance of the pieces about the origins of their composition and the collaboration between the players and composers.

Florian Magnus Maier: 'The Music of Erich Zann' for solo violin, voice and electronics (2022) 12' – Commissioned by New Music Now
A violinist tour de force, based on HP Lovecraft's story of the same name, written for my good friend and long-time collaboration partner Julija Hartig. This struggle of a musician who gradually slides into the abyss of madness while she exorcises and combats horrors from a strange universe with her playing, will push us to the limit both in terms of composition and violin playing.

This piece is part of the CD 'Dark Velvet'. With this special CD she won an Edison Classical 2023 in the Newcomer National category.

Roctet – string octet

Joris van Rijn – violin
Filipe Fernandes – violin
Francien Schatborn - viola
Eveline Kraayenhof – cello
Anneke Janssen – cello
Frank Brakkee – viola
Masha Iakovleva – violin
Julija Hartig – violin

Max Knigge: 'De Chroniqueur' for String Octet (2023) 15' – Commissioned by New Music Now

The multidisciplinary string octet 'De Chroniqueur' by the Dutch composer Max Knigge. The piece was written especially for Roctet and commissioned by New Music Now. “A musical trip about love, value and responsibility, with colorful and exciting music”

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March 2024

Friday March 22, 2024 2:00 PM | Royal Conservatory

Workshop with composers, Royal Conservatory of The Hague

January 2024

Sunday January 21, 2024 8:00 PM | Uilenburgerstraat 91, Amsterdam

The fiery spirit of Enescu

With a varied and exciting program, Roctet takes you on a journey through Eastern Europe, with works by Prokofiev, Gliere, Schostakovich and as the highlight of the concert an exuberant and virtuoso string octet by George Enescu.

Enescu's composition contrasts with Felix Mendelssohn's Octet, in which a solo violin part is set against an accompaniment of the other string instruments. Enescu's work, on the other hand, is “a true octet that finds its most natural expression in its hallucinatory convergent and divergent contrapuntal voices.”

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December 2023

Thursday, December 21, 2023 8:00 PM | Koningslaan 2b, 1405 GL Bussum

Midwinter Mulled Wine Concert in Bussum

Let yourself be warmed by the sound of Roctet's eight strings on this winter evening.

The music of Johann Sebastian Bach is actually indispensable during Christmas time. What could be better, therefore, to start our concert with parts from Bach's very last work 'Die Kunst der Fuge', in an arrangement by our principal Joris van Rijn.

A rarely performed work is the Double Quartet 'Novoselye - Housewarming' by the romantic Russian composer, “rediscovered” by Roctet and released on our debut CD. Nikolay Afanasyev. The piece is particularly rich in musical discoveries, offers an abundance of lilting melodies that are close to folk music.

The masterpiece is after the break Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: Octet in E flat major op.20 on the programme. The octet was intended as a birthday present for the violinist and conductor Eduard Rietz (1802-1832), who certainly appreciated the virtuoso first violin part. The composer's nuanced, delicate writing style and his romantic, lyrical and lilting melodies make the Octet one of the most performed in the repertoire.

Tickets You can order by sending an email to tickets@roctet.nl

Tickets are also available at the venue.

Admission: €22.50 incl. Mulled wine

November 2023

Friday November 3, 2023 7:30 PM | Uilenburgersjoel

Roctet in the Uilenburgersjoel Amsterdam

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September 2023

Saturday September 23, 2023 8:00 PM | Uilenburgsjoel Amsterdam

Roctet in Carré Amsterdam

June 2023

Thursday 8 June 2023 8:15 pm | Hoeksche Waard

Roctet in Hoeksche Waard

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April 2023

Sunday, April 23, 2023 3:00 PM | Philharmonie Haarlem

Roctet in Philharmonie Haarlem

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Wednesday 5 April 2023 15:30h | Amsterdam

Roctet in Amsterdam

private concert

private concert

January 2023

Sunday, January 15, 2023 - Sunday, January 15, 2023 | Nieuwkoop, Remonstrant Church

Roctet in Nieuwkoop

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July 2022

Saturday 16 July 2022 12:00u | Wonderfeel Festival

Roctet in Wonderfeel

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Thursday 7 July 2022 20:00h | Tivoli Vredenburg

Roctet in Cloud Nine

 

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May 2022

Sunday 15 May 2022 16:00h | MCO/ Hilversum

Roctet plays a beloved and wonderful octet in the MCO's chamber music series

Two concertmasters, two first violinists, two violists and two cellists from the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra joined forces in 2016 and have since formed the only permanent string octet in the Netherlands: ROctet. In addition to perhaps the most beloved octet ever written, that of Felix Mendelssohn, we are introduced to the wonderful music of Woldemar Bargiel (1828-1897), contemporary and brother-in-law of Robert Schumann.

bargiel String Octet in C major op. 15a
Mendelssohn String Octet in E flat op. 20

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February 2022

Friday 25 February 2022 20:00h | Kragujevac, Serbia

Roctet in Kragujevac

Thursday 24 February 2022 20:00h | City Concert Hall/ Novi Sad/ Serbia

Roctet in Novi Sad/ European Capital of Culture

the octet of strings 'ROctet' will hold a concert within the 'migrations'programme arch in the City Concert Hall on February 24† The concert starts at 8 pm, and the audience will have a chance to hear works by N. Afanasyev,  Carlos Michans and F. Mendelssohn.

ROctet is an octet of strings from the Netherlands that originated in 2016. Composed of the leading strings of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, this energetic ensemble has held many brilliant concerts in various concert series and performed live on radio and TV. Their debut CD 'Housewarming' was released by Challenge Records International.

The CD has received notable attention from leading Dutch media. Two radio stations in the Netherlands named it Album of the Week, and it received a 5-star review in the TROUW newspaper. In the January 2020 issue, an interview with ROctet appeared in the prominent classical music magazine Luister, where shortly afterwards the CD received a 10-star review. With the wonderful reviews that appeared in the French Diapason and the American Music Guide magazine, ROctet did not go unnoticed in the foreign press either, thus the tradition of this wonderful string formation remained alive.

Ensemble members: Joris van Rijn (violin), Dimiter Tchernookov (violin), Julija Hartig (violin), *Emi Ohi Resnick is replacing Masha Iakovleva (violin), Francien Schatborn (viola), Frank Brakkee (viola), Eveline Kraayenhof (cello), Anneke Janssen (cello).

Admission to the concert is free of charge.

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December 2021

Sunday 19 December 2021 2:30 pm | Remonstrant Church, Nieuwkoop

Roctet plays Festive concert before Christmas

ROctet presents HOUSEWARMING for Christmas

Afanasyev, Shostakovich and Mendelssohn

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Thursday, December 16, 2021 at 8:15 PM | Concert committee Hoeksche Waard

Roctet in the Hoeksche Waard Concert Committee series

ROctet presents HOUSEWARMING

Afanasyev, Shostakovich and Mendelssohn

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September 2021

Sunday, September 26, 2021 10:30 am | Amsterdam Concert Hall

Roctet in the CONCERTGEBOUW Amsterdam The power of eight

The Netherlands' only permanent string octet originated from the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and is called ROctet. Today it's playing Afanashevs Double String Quartet 'Novoselye' alongside Mendelssohn's iconic Octet.

Mendelssohn and Afanasyev
The ROctet plays Mendelssohn's iconic Octet. 'Exuberant, cheering music from a 16-year-old who gets a vibrant, almost perfect performance here', says de Volkskrant. In addition to this audience favourite, an unknown work by the Russian Nikolai Afanashev, a nineteenth-century violin virtuoso, will be played. To be Double String Quartet has the subtitle Novoselye, which means 'housewarming'. A music festival full of energy and melancholy.

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Thursday, September 16, 2021 at 8:00 PM | Great Church, Epe

Roctet in Grote Kerk Epe

The Netherlands' only permanent string octet originated from the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and is called ROctet. Today it plays Afanasyevs Double String Quartet 'Novoselye' alongside Mendelssohn's iconic Octet.

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March 2020

Saturday 14 March 2020 20:00u | Remonstrant Church, Nieuwkoop

Afanasyev, Shostakovich and Mendelssohn

ROctet plays the most beautiful pieces from the octet repertoire by Afanasyev, Shostakovich and Mendelssohn.

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January 2020

Tuesday 28 January 2020 20:15u | Hilversum Town Hall

Town hall concert: The influence of a teenager

The iconic string octet in E flat major (1825) by the then sixteen-year-old Mendelssohn had a major influence on composers after him. For example on the Danish Niels Gade, who succeeded Mendelssohn as conductor of the Gewandhausorchester. 50 years after Mendelssohn, the Russian composer Nikolay Afanasyev also wrote a string octet (1875).

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Nov 2019

Friday, November 22, 2019 8:15 PM | TivoliVredenburg Utrecht

AvroTros Friday Concert: Mendelssohn, Bach and Shostakovich

Bach Selection from the Art of Fugue, BWV 1080
Michans Divertimento for eight strings 'Variations on a Tamil Lyric'
Shostakovich Two pieces for string octet
Mendelssohn Octet in E flat opus 20

Felix Mendelssohn's octet, written when he was 16, is a kind of violin concerto in small ensemble, with a natural star role for the first violin. An almost fairytale haze hangs over the string sounds. And it makes happy. Viola player Frank Brakkee says: 'Mendelssohn's music makes you feel ten years younger. It has youthful freshness, full of energy, excitement and beautiful melodies. Mendelssohn does that very well. If you're depressed for a moment, listen to Mendelssohn and you'll be able to take it again.'

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July 2019

Thursday 25 July 2019 u | Groningen

Peter the Great Festival

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Friday 19 July 2019 u | 's Gravenland

Wonderfeel Festival

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Wednesday 3 July 2019 u | Uilenburger Synagogue

Splendor Amsterdam - The Shul

June 2019

Saturday 15 June 2019 20:30u | Amersfoort

Hawk Concerts

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