Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ
Highlights
This season is full of musical highlights! We have made a selection of special concerts that showcase the very best across different genres.
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Must-see concerts ⬇️
Agenda
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Rafet El Roman
Turkish star singer who brings generations together
Sun 4 Oct 2026Irresistible hits, heartfelt ballads, and nostalgic sing-along moments: a concert by Rafet El Roman is a journey through three decades of Turkish pop music. His distinctive voice has resonated across generations, accompanying millions through love, heartbreak, hope, and happiness. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to experience one of Turkey’s most influential and beloved artists live on stage.
Rafet El Roman rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a singer. His debut album, Gençliğin Gözyaşı (Tears of Youth), was an immediate success, and throughout his career he has continued to produce hit songs. One notable example is Unuturum Elbet (Eventually I Will Forget You), a duet with the young singer Derya, released in 2018, which has been viewed more than 346 million times on YouTube.
Program
20:15 / Grote Zaal / Concert
22:00 / Entreehal / After concertCredits
Rafet El Roman vocals
and band -
French lineages
Pierre-Laurent Aimard + George BenjaminComposer and master pianist, friends for life, in a visionary programme
Thu 8 Oct 2026Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard and composer George Benjamin have been close friends ever since the 1970s, when they studied together under Olivier Messiaen in Paris. In this special programme featuring two Dutch premieres, they connect their shared history with visionary music: Benjamin’s Divisions and Shadowlines, Lacôte’s Cahier de filigranes, Obukhov’s rarely heard Révélation and Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit.
Aimard is a leading advocate of the modern repertoire, and Benjamin ranks as one of today’s most important composers. The French composer Thomas Lacôte serves as organist at the Église de la Trinité, the very church where Messiaen held the post of resident organist for decades – a historical lineage that subtly weaves through this programme. Alongside Ravel, Obukhov emerges as a fascinating discovery: an evening of refinement, mysticism and unprecedented pianistic intensity.
Focus on Pierre-Laurent Aimard 2026/2027
Explore all the concerts by clicking here and listen to the playlist below ⬇️Program
19.15 / Foyerdeck 1 / Pre-concert talk
By Michel Khalifa20.15 / Grote Zaal / Main program
George Benjamin Divisions (four hands, Dutch premiere) / Shadowlines
Thomas Lacôte Cahier de filigranes (Dutch premiere)
Nikolai Obukhov Révélation
Maurice Ravel Gaspard de la nuitCredits
Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano
George Benjamin piano (in Divisions) -
Nostalgia and tragedy
Maria Milstein + Nathalia MilsteinA French-Russian programme by two exceptional sisters
Sat 10 Oct 2026The Milstein sisters are brimming with talent. In 2025, pianist Nathalia reached the final of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition, while violinist Maria was awarded the Nederlandse Muziekprijs (Dutch Music Award) back in 2018. They have performed at the Muziekgebouw on several occasions, both together and individually. Their perfect harmony, down to the smallest details, is evident in this idiosyncratic and personal programme, which includes sonatas by Francis Poulenc and Sergei Prokofiev, as well as unknown music by the French-Russian composer Valéry Arzoumanov, a friend of the Milstein family.
Arzoumanov lives in Normandy, but was born in Siberia. His work is imbued with a longing for a time he never experienced. The Nostalgic Waltzes seem to come straight from pre-1917 St. Petersburg. Lili Boulanger, who died young and was the sister of the renowned composer and music pedagogue Nadia, also has Russian traits, but her music echoes French Romanticism as well. The sonatas of Poulenc and Prokofiev are darker by comparison. Poulenc wrote his as a tribute to the poet Federico García Lorca, who was murdered during the Spanish Civil War. Prokofiev composed his sombre yet vital sonata during the Second World War.Program
Lili Boulanger Nocturne
Valéry Arzoumanov Ich hab’ im Traum geweinet / Voyage en Russie / Three nostalgic waltzes
Lili Boulanger D’un matin de printemps
Francis Poulenc Violin Sonata
Sergei Prokofiev Violin Sonata No. 1Credits
Maria Milstein violin
Nathalia Milstein piano -
Metropolis (1927)
Wishful Singing, Yonga Sun, Steven Kamperman + Jorrit WesterhofAn ominous vision of the year 2026
Sun 11 Oct 2026The hundred-year-old, iconic science-fiction epic Metropolis presents us with a dystopian world set in the year 2026 (!) as director Fritz Lang envisioned it. Underground, workers slave away to keep colossal machines running, whilst above them the elite live in luxury. At the heart of the story is a young woman who offers the workers hope and calls for harmony – until her likeness is copied onto a robot programmed for a far more sinister purpose ...
This immersive, timeless classic raises questions about power, technology and humanity that feel just as urgent today as they did then. But does the film’s conclusion offer a satisfying answer? Vocal ensemble Wishful Singing performs new music by Steven Kamperman, specifically composed for this line-up. The music, with its ghostly vocals, haunting percussion and crossovers between human and machine, not only adds an extra layer but also challenges you, 100 years after its premiere, to view and question this iconic classic through a contemporary lens.
Program
Metropolis (1927), a film by Fritz Lang with music by Steven Kamperman
Credits
Wishful Singing
Yonga Sun percussion, modular synthesizer
Steven Kamperman composition, bass clarinet
Jorrit Westerhof electric guitar -
Michael Gordon's Trance
Ensemble Klang + United Instruments of LucilinExplosive and hypnotic masterpiece for large ensemble
Thu 15 Oct 2026A double anniversary in 2026: Michael Gordon’s iconic work Trance premiered thirty years ago, and the composer himself turns seventy. A musical whirlwind of breakneck rhythms, crackling brass and furious electric bass and guitar, Trance hasn’t lost an ounce of its power. Top-tier Dutch ensemble Klang and United Instruments of Lucilin from Luxembourg are more than up to the task. They combine Trance with world premieres by former Composer Laureate of the Netherlands Calliope Tsoupaki and Irish composer David Fennessy.
Gordon composed Trance after receiving a message in a dream from someone he describes as ‘a cross between György Ligeti, Louis Andriessen and my own teacher, Martin Bresnick’. Write a work for a large ensemble, he was instructed. And so he did. Trance is a seven-part tour de force of shifting rhythmic layers, equally explosive and hypnotic. Calliope Tsoupaki and David Fennessy write for the same impactful ensemble of 23 amplified musicians on keyboards, trumpets, trombones, guitars, pan flutes and saxophones.
More Minimal Music in 2026/2027
Explore all the concerts by clicking here and listen to the playlist below ⬇️Program
19.15 / Foyerdeck 1 / Pre-concert talk
By Huib Ramaer20.15 / Grote Zaal / Main program
Michael Gordon Trance
Calliope Tsoupaki New work (world premiere)
David Fennessy Wounds (world premiere)Credits
Ensemble Klang
United Instruments of Lucilin -
Crawler + Nkisi + 2K88 & Rainy Miller & Bianca Scout
Nothing Here Now x The Rest is Noise x Amsterdam Dance EventElectronic Music beyond the dance floor
Wed 21 Oct 2026Few art forms possess the transformative power of electronic music. It moves bodies, reshapes spaces and creates moments of collective experience. During Amsterdam Dance Event, Nothing Here Now and The Rest is Noise present three new live performances that explore another dimension of that power. Nkisi, Crawler and 2K88, Rainy Miller & Bianca Scout each use electronic music as an artistic language in which sound, image and performance converge through storytelling and transformation.
Please note: for this concert, only standing places are available.
Crawler - Your Death Is a Lullaby
The live premiere of Your Death Is a Lullaby is the centrepiece of the evening. Crawler, the new project by Rachella Groen (Zohar), Harry Castle and writer Gervaise Alexis Savvias, asks who gets to be seen and understood, and what it costs to resist that expectation. Spoken word, electronics, live instruments, visuals and scenography come together in a performance where vulnerability, desire, grief and queer identity are given space in all their complexity.
For this premiere, Crawler expands the collective with cellist Malou van der Veld, guitarist Rob Toal-Lennon, an installation by Studio Basse Stittgen and visuals by Clint Soren.
Your Death Is a Lullaby was developed within the Muziekgebouw Production House and is part of ADE Arts & Culture.
2K88 & Rainy Miller & Bianca Scout - Everything Always Changes, For We’re Truly Here
Everything Always Changes, For We're Truly Here was created during an Unsound Festival residency, where Polish producer 2K88 collaborated with Rainy Miller, Bianca Scout and Lauren Duffus. For the live performance, 2K88, Rainy Miller and Bianca Scout take the stage. Dreamlike electronics, R&B and rap come together in a cinematic sound world where memory, history and imagination continuously intertwine.Nkisi - BLK SPLLS
In BLK SPLLS, Nkisi explores how music can set transformation in motion. Inspired by the Central African concept of bilongo, she approaches samples as active fragments: valued less for what they signify than for what they set into motion. In doing so, she reclaims familiar elements of electronic music, such as the break, the loop and the drop, returning them to their original function as rhythms for trance and transformation.
Originally developed as a collection of sonic spells, BLK SPLLS receives its live premiere at Muziekgebouw.
Program
2K88 & Rainy Miller & Bianca Scout Everything Always Changes, For We’re Truly Here (live)
Crawler (Zohar & Castle) Your Death Is a Lullaby (live premiere)
Nkisi BLK SPLLS (live premiere) -
ADE: Hoketus 50!
Het MuziekThe legendary work of Louis Andriessen
Thu 22 Oct 2026Uncompromising. Energetic. Unlike anything else. Louis Andriessen’s Hoketus is the big bang of Dutch electronic and minimal music avant la lettre. Released by Andriessen fifty years ago, this legendary work hit the world like a bomb. No sweet melodies here – just rock-hard rhythms, raw sounds, and a hypnotic drive. Hoketus inspired artists worldwide. From minimal to techno, from ensemble to club: Andriessen’s influence can still be heard today.
For this anniversary celebration, Michael Gordon, co-founder of the legendary Bang on a Can collective, is writing a mirror composition: a work that confronts Hoketus. Not an homage, but a new step in the direction Andriessen set out. Music that does not bend, but collides, moves and breaks.
Program
19.15 / Foyerdeck 1 / Pre-concert talk
By Michel Khalifa20.15 / Grote Zaal / Main program
Michael Gordon New work
Louis Andriessen HoketusCredits
Het Muziek
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ADE: Tut Kalbimi Tut
Oh Voyage, DJ Klapsalon + AfrobotAnatolian psychedelica and Turkish grooves
Sat 24 Oct 2026From Anatolian folk to funk and disco, from the nightclubs of Istanbul to contemporary electronica. With hypnotizing rhythms, rare vinyl finds, and a contemporary club energy, this evening explores the rich musical heritage of Anatolia with a boundary-pushing perspective. From Rotterdam, Oh Voyage is taking the world by storm with thrilling live sets in which traditional instruments like the duduk, ney, and oud are alternated with electric guitars, analogue synthesizers and drum computers. DJs Afrobot and Klapsalon also draw inspiration from their nomadic ancestors. With crates full of weird grooves.
Oh Voyage
The duo Oh Voyage draws inspiration from the night-time streets of Istanbul, where both members grew up. Today, they perform across a wide range of venues – from Berlin’s Berghain to the London Jazz Festival. Their unique sound blends Anatolian folk music with electronic music, creating an emotional journey that reflects their passion for connecting cultures.DJ Klapsalon
French DJ/producer Klapsalon blends fresh club sounds with rare Anatolian vinyl. His sets shift effortlessly between genres and eras, keeping the dancefloor in constant motion.Afrobot
And Afrobot, also from Rotterdam, has been spinning vintage funk, disco and psychedelic grooves of Turkish origin since the 90s. With his deep-rooted knowledge, curiosity and signature taste, he stands as one of the pioneers of the Anatolian and Turkish sound in the Dutch scene.
Credits
Oh Voyage
DJ Klapsalon
Afrobot -
Nocturnal Blues
Matteo MyderwykRefinement and quiet stillness in nocturnal piano music
Tue 27 Oct 2026The night has served as a muse to artists for centuries. Pianist, composer, and improviser Matteo Myderwyk adds a chapter to that tradition with his album Nocturnal Blues. The subtle sound-poetry of the French composers Debussy and Ravel serves as a source of inspiration, as does “the blues” as an emotion: the quiet, melancholic nighttime hours of our inner world.
Classically trained Myderwyk is closely related to popular neo-classical piano music. He is winning over a worldwide audience with his tender, playful, and above all atmospheric piano music. The album Nocturnal Blues is a tribute to his great hero Vincent van Gogh. Van Gogh wrote that the night seemed to him “much more alive and richer in color” than the day: “as if the night were not black, but blue, violet, and green.” The idea that the night has a deeper color and a richer language than the world of everyday life lies at the heart of Myderwyk’s album. In this concert, dream, stillness, and refinement come together.
Program
Music from the album Nocturnal Blues (2026)
Credits
Matteo Myderwyk piano
