Description
ME!
It’s easily said, ‘me’.
But who’s me when he’s at home?
If you say me and I say me, who would think
of you? Not me. But you would.
So what makes you so special?
What does it take? Or rather, whom?
It’s you first, sure. And me?
What about me?
The theme of the 2010 New Year’s Concert organised by the NBE and the VARA broadcasting corporation was ME! It’s a theme with special resonance for the programme’s featured musicians. Iranian singer Marjan Vahdat and Congolese ensemble Staff Benda Bilili have continued to make beautiful music despite the way their environment responded to their choices. Or perhaps because of it. They are musical heroes who dare to raise their voices, and who demonstrate that making music together can indeed move mountains. They were selected from the nearly 150 entries in the NBE’s annual young composers’ contest. The young composers too, took their inspiration from this year’s theme ME! At first this year was the inclusion of young composers from the Netherlands’ overseas territories, the Dutch Antilles. Fons Merkies, Hans Barkel, Jos van den Dungen, Anastacia M. Larmonie and Willem van Merwijk supported the young composers helping them arrange their piece for the NBE.
Solists Marjan Vahdat (vocals), Staff Bandda Bilili
Young composers Guus van Wolde, Annemiek de Bruin, Baue Kunstman, Chardonnay Martes
