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Performers
- Antonii Baryshevskyi piano
- Silvia Gallego double bass
- Maryana Golovchenko soprano
- Anna Kirsh soprano
- Andrii Koshman baritone
- Ruslan Kirsh baritone
- Oksana Mukosii viola
- Fiona Robertson violin
- Ketevan Roinishvili cello
- Ernst Spyckerelle violin
- Mikheil Menabde conductor
- Nico de Rooij lighting design
Programme
- Maxim ShalyginAmandanteChamber opera in one act
> Libretto: Paul van der Woerd
> Based on Plato’s dialogue Symposion, translated by Percy Bysshe Shelley
> New mise-en-espace with a lighting design by Nico de Rooij
Amandante is a production of the Muziekgebouw Production House in collaboration with Nova Opera, the Greek National Opera and the Shapeshift Foundation.
About this concert
“To the feasts of the good, the good come uninvited.”
‘A rollercoaster of emotions and a triumph of musical imagination.’ The NRC gave Amandante, Maxim Shalygin’s opera, a five-star review, calling him ‘one of the most interesting composers of his generation’. The newspaper also selected Amandante for its top ten music list for 2024. Korzo and Classical NOW! are now bringing this critically acclaimed opera to The Hague.
Amandante is based on Plato‘s Symposion, one of his most famous dialogues. In the dialogue, the playwright Agathon hosts a banquet. Among his guests are the philosopher Socrates and the comedy writer Aristophanes. They give passionate speeches about Eros in all its forms, from the physical to the Platonic.
Paul van der Woerd based the libretto on Percy Bysshe Shelley‘s romantic translation of Symposion, in which the emotions run higher than in the original. This inspired Shalygin to compose fascinatingly colourful music full of humour, passion, and virtuosity. Shalygin: “I want people to descend into the depths of the melody lines and be swept away on that wave.”
Amandante is the debut opera of Dutch-Ukrainian composer Maxim Shalygin. The Nova Opera ensemble was due to premiere the opera in Kyiv in 2022, but this was cancelled due to the war in Ukraine. Amandante premiered at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam in 2024. In a new staging with lighting design by Nico de Rooij, the acclaimed opera is now being performed in The Hague for the second time. This is the only reprise in the Netherlands. After that, it will be performed in Vienna, Berlin and Zurich.
About Maxim Shalygin
Born in Ukraine in 1985, Maxim Shalygin is one of the most striking composers of his generation. He has been based in the Netherlands since 2010 and has developed an extremely personal musical language. His music strikes a balance between spirituality and emotional power, stillness and explosion, and grows organically. His adventurous style is deeply rooted in tradition, with a spiritual layering that is reminiscent of his Eastern European roots.
Shalygin composes in a variety of genres, including chamber music, vocal works, electroacoustic compositions and music for film and theatre, as well as his first opera: Amandante. His compositions have been performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Klarafestival, De Doelen and Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ.
In the Press
“A satanic waltz, a slave-chorus-like tutti, a rousing folk dance with hand percussion, schmaltzy musical, sentimental variety show. Without false pretensions, Shalygin takes everything seriously, including humour and the abyss, and fearlessly skirts the edges of kitsch where necessary.”
Preview
The official trailer of Maxim Shalygin’s opera Amandante, made for the European tour.