He was born exactly 80 years ago to the day: the conductor, pianist, composer and fervent advocate of contemporary music Reinbert de Leeuw. Naturally, we celebrate his birthday.

When asked to describe how he envisaged his ideal celebratory evening, De Leeuw answered: ‘Surprise me!’ Lifting the veil: the superstar soprano and close friend of De Leeuw Barbara Hannigan will at any rate be among those participating, as will De Leeuw’s trusted ensemble Asko|Schönberg.
This evening’s programme will remain a surprise for De Leeuw and the audience alike. Diversity is guaranteed, with a selection of international guests with whom De Leeuw has collaborated in the course of his long career. Hannigan will sing Eric Satie’s symphonic drama Socrate, which she and De Leeuw recorded on a highly acclaimed CD.
Reinbert de Leeuw is music itself. He is co-founded of the Schönberg Ensemble, enjoyed mega success with his recordings of Satie’s piano works; he composed, conducted, admired and inspired. His unconditional belief in composers such as Gubaidulina, Kurtág, Ustvolskaya, Kagel, Ligeti, Vivier and many others has greatly enriched the musical landscape of the past half-century. 

Artists

ERIK SATIE
Socrate
and many more

ASKO|SCHÖNBERG
soprano Barbara Hannigan
piano Reinbert de Leeuw
and others