Nederlands Kamerkoor © Philippe Vogelenzang
Nederlands Kamerkoor © Philippe Vogelenzang

Madness!

Nederlands Kamerkoor + Mahan Esfahani
Thu 4 Mar 2027 20:15 - 22:00
Thu 4 Mar 2027
20:15 - 22:00
  • Thu 4 Mar 2027
    20:15 - 22:00
    Grote Zaal

Program

19.15 / Foyerdeck 1 / Pre-concert talk
By Thea Derks

20.15 / Grote Zaal / Main program
Carlo Gesualdo Madrigals (selection)
Zad Moultaka
I am the Truth! (world premiere)*
 
*co-commissioned by the Muziekgebouw with support from Ammodo 

Credits

Netherlands Chamber Choir 
Burak Onur Erdem conductor 
Kenza Koutchoukali director 
Mahan Esfahani harpsichord

Music on the edge of genius and madness 

In a ground-breaking concert, the Netherlands Chamber Choir explores the thin line between madness and genius. Waanzin! (Madness!) is an encounter between Eastern mysticism and the late Italian Renaissance, in which music is not only a mirror for the human mind, but also a way of thinking beyond the boundaries of time and space. connects the mystical poetry of the ‘mad’ 9th-century Sufi Al-Halladj with the psychological depths of the Italian Renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo.

The programme features a new work by the Franco‑Lebanese composer Zad Moultaka, based on texts by the mystic Al‑Hallaj, who is often regarded as a martyr within Islam. Performing on the harpsichord is Mahan Esfahani, dubbed a ‘harpsichord superstar’ by The Guardian. The daring harmonies and alienating chromaticism of the visionary composer Gesualdo demonstrates his extreme spirit, from which the murder of his adulterous wife and her lover also originated. Apart from burying his wife, Gesualdo also single-handedly brought the madrigal tradition into the Baroque era.

This programme has been changed. Ticketholders will be informed.

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