‘Understanding’ is an evening about language that touches, derails, and sometimes suddenly strikes home. The Canadian-Dutch soprano Elisabeth Hetherington — winner of the Dutch Music Prize — created this program together with us. It is a search for what happens when words fall short, and for those rare moments when we still manage to find one another.

The tubular bells — sometimes whispering, sometimes commanding — sound as a sonic red thread throughout ‘Understanding’. You’ll hear, among other works, exquisite vocal solos by Hetherington and the intense orchestral piece Bouchara by Claude Vivier.

Also featured is a new composition by Rozalie Hirs, known for her musical language that is both mathematical and spiritual. In this work, voice and violin explore one another: questions, misunderstandings, silence, and at times a clear, shared moment. An intimate ode to the human attempt to truly connect.