Verklaar de Nacht: De zoektocht van Strauss & Schönberg
Classical music takes on a distinctive character at the New Church in The Hague: the Nederlands Blazers Ensemble presents a full programme centred on love, vulnerability and transformation, featuring works by Richard Strauss and Arnold Schönberg. Flemish writer Maud Vanhauwaert joins as a literary guide throughout the evening.
What happens when guilt and forgiveness meet in music? Schönberg's Verklärte Nacht – literally: Transfigured Night – offers one answer. The NBE performs this compelling work in an arrangement for wind instruments by Geert van Keulen, giving the piece an unexpected new palette of colours. Schönberg originally wrote it for strings; in this version the same emotions resonate, but through a different timbre. That is precisely what the ensemble is searching for: what lies hidden behind the original orchestrations?
Richard Strauss at the New Church in The Hague
Alongside Schönberg, the young Strauss takes centre stage. His Serenade and Suite are performed in their original wind scoring – light, graceful and technically refined. Set against the weight of Verklärte Nacht, these works create a contrast that gives the programme its own dramatic tension. This marks the first time the NBE has built an entire concert around wind instruments alone, and it shows: the chamber music intensity is palpable.
Maud Vanhauwaert bridges music and language
Flemish writer Maud Vanhauwaert provides the literary thread running through the evening. With sharp observations and unexpected turns, she translates the story of Verklärte Nacht into recognisable, contemporary experiences. Her texts are playful but never superficial; they make the emotional core of the music tangible for everyone in the hall. Cloakroom and an interval drink are included.
