Agenda

Sories of the Soul

Music by Um Kalthoum, Fairuz, Sayid Darwish, Mohammed Abdo, Rahbani Brothers and many others

Anass Habib singing, Amstel Quartet saxophones

Together with Moroccan singer Anass Habib, Amstel Quartet delves into the world of Arabic music, full of emotion and poetry. From Fairuz, ‘the cedar of Lebanon’, to the stirring music of Mohammed Abdu, and from the Egyptian father figure Sayid Darwish to the best-known works of the ‘Lady of Cairo’, Um Kalthoum.

Stories of the Soul is a wonderful exploration of the Arabic soul.

Sax avec Elan!

Philippe Elan and the Amstel Quartet featuring Thérèse Steinmetz

Music by Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour, Edith Piaf and others

Drift away with moving French chansons and compelling stories, in the unique combination of chansonnier Philippe Elan and the Amstel Quartet. Elan is a household name to anyone with a passion for the French chanson. He once began his musical career playing the saxophone in the local brass band, but it soon became apparent that his true passion was to sing. The saxophone continued to play a part in his life though and so it was no coincidence that he said yes to a collaboration with the Amstel Quartet: they understand like no other what singing is. And the chansons by Brel, Aznavour and Piaf are perfectly suited to him. The press quite rightly wrote: “Philippe Elan sings these songs with such charm and passion that he effortlessly illustrates why these chansons have become classics.”

HOT POT

Verschillende smaken in één klassiek concert

Chinese Hot Pot – ofwel Chinese fondue – is een ware sociale aangelegenheid. Vele bakjes met vlees, vis en groenten verzamelen zich rond een grote, metalen pan, waarin de hapjes gezamenlijk gegaard en bereid kunnen worden.

Geïnspireerd door deze vele verschillende smaken op hun tournee door China, presenteert het Amstel Quartet nu zijn eigen muzikale Hot Pot: een bonte mix van uiteenlopende smaken, stijlen en componisten. Met op het programma werk van onder meer Beethoven, Mozart en Reich.

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Chinese Hot pot – or Chinese fondue – always sets a true social gathering into motion. Many bowls of meat, fish and vegetables are assembled around a big, iron wok, in which the small bites are cooked and prepared.

Inspired by these compelling flavours on their tour in China, the Amstel Quartet now presents its own musical ‘hot pot’: a diverse mix of distinct tastes, styles and composers. There is something in the hot pot for everybody.

Mensch Maschine

Music by Kraftwerk, Martland, Biegai, Kypski, Torke

Amstel Quartet, sax en EWI (electronic wind instruments)
Kypski, electronics
Hendrik Walther, visuals

Man Machine, Pseudo human being, Man Machine, Super human being - KRAFTWERK

Exactly 40 years ago Kraftwerk released Der Mensch-Maschine. The legendary album announced the birth of a new genre of electronic music, the consequences of which are still felt today. Not only are countless artists still inspired by the synth pop the German foursome produced - Kraftwerk, in turn, listened closely to classical electronic pioneers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Henry. In this tribute the Amstel Quartet combines Kraftwerk tracks from The Man-Machine with new compositions by German composer Christina Biegai and. Turntablist Kypski improvises on the Krautrock-sounds and Hendrik Walther designed video art for this super human performance. We are the robots.

Symphonic Saxophone.

Works by Beethoven, Wagner, Barber, Franck, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Creston.

Classical Zen

Symphonic Saxophone

Lux Aeterna

Ode to Orpheus: 400 Years Sweelinck

Music by Sweelinck, Vrolijk, Fiumara

Exactly four hundred years after his death, the spirit of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck is still very much alive in the Netherlands. In this memorable year, Amstel Quartet brings an ode to the ‘Prince of Musicke’.

They play his famous fantasias and vocal compositions, complemented with work by present-day Dutch composers such as Anthony Fiumara and Renske Vrolijk.