news

October 2009

After Life revival in Amsterdam

After Life 2009After Life at the Muziektheater

Michel van der Aa’s opera After Life returned to De Nederlandse Opera last month to great public and critical acclaim. After Life, based on the film by Hirokazu Kore-Eda, was premiered at the 2006 Holland Festival in a sold-out run at the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, and its success prompted De Nederlandse Opera to schedule a revival at the Amsterdam Muziektheater from 29 September through 4 October. The original cast was reunited with the Asko Schoenberg Ensemble, conducted by Otto Tausk.

As a music theatre maker, Van der Aa achieves unparalleled results
***** (five stars)
— Volkskrant, Frits van der Waa

Van der Aa is capable of evocative communication and has a remarkable feeling for suggestion…The images are once again moving and effective.
— Parool, Erik Voermans

A masterpiece. Everyone, but everyone, must see it.
— 8Weekly, Henri Drost

The composer has revised the work in preparation for touring. The production will travel to the Lyon Opera in March 2010 and to London in May 2010 in a semi-staged version as part of the Barbican Centre’s Present Voices series.

- read more about After Life

about

Michel van der Aa (Netherlands, 1970) is one of Europe’s most sought-after composers today.
 For Van der Aa, music is more than organized sound or a structuring of notes. His music has expressive power, combining sounds and scenic images in a play of changing perspectives. Van der Aa’s recent stage works show a successful involvement as a film and stage director as well as composer.

upcoming performances

  • 19 February 2012
    Oog
    Chambre d’écoute
    Verena Sennekamp, cello
    Galerie Marzee, Nijmegen, Netherlands
  • 10 May 2012
    Quadrivial (US premiere)
    International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE)
    The Phillips Collection, Washington DC, USA
  • 10 May 2012
    Memo
    International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). Erik Carlson, violin
    The Phillips Collection, Washington DC, USA

recent video

Up-close | trailer

upclose TNSol Gabetta, cello. Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Candida Thompson. Vakil Eelman.
3:22 min. trailer

recent audio

The Book of Disquiet - Scene 3 & 4

Scene 3 & 4
Klaus Maria Brandauer, musikFabrik, cond. Martyn Brabbins
11:01 min.

recente werken

  • Up-close (2010)
    for solo cello, string ensemble and film
  • Rekindle (2009)
    for flute and soundtrack
  • Transit (2009)
    for piano and video

recent publications

colophon

Editors Jonathan Reeder, Tim Rutherford-Johnson
Web-design Studio Lonne Wennekendonk
Realisation Martijn ten Napel
Latest update 28 January 2012