MONDAY 23 – WEDNESDAY 25 AUGUST
Muziekgebouw, 20.15, €18

Extremely talented kids. Don’t you just hate them? We’re not even talking about the Idols and X-Factor atrocities. No, we mean actual talents, like the young musicians who qualify for the NJO Summer Academy, and who may well progress onwards into some of the Netherlands’ top orchestras after they’ve matured. If you aren’t annoyed of these freakishly young players, you can check them out at three separate concerts in Muziekgebouw this week.

Monday 23 August
NJO Symfonieorkest

This variation will perform works by Mark-Anthony Turnage, Ravel and Alexander von Zemlinsky, and will be conducted by Reinbert de Leeuw, who’s stepping down after ten years of being artistic director of the Summer Academy. Look out for a particularly impassioned performance of Turnage’s Drowned Out, as the acclaimed Englishman has been composer-in-residence this year.

Tuesday 24 August
NJO Reich Ensemble

A minimalist special conducted by Wim Vos and featuring two famous works by Steve Reich: New York Counterpoint and Music for 18 Musicians.

New York Counterpoint may not be one of Reich’s most acclaimed works but remains a pulsing and mesmeric technical feat. Young clarinettist Anna voor de Wind will pre-record 11 parts on tape and perform the twelfth live on stage. In contrast, Music for 18 Musicians is one of Reich’s most celebrated compositions, utilising the pulses of each instrument to develop melodic fragments.

Wednesday 25 August
New European Ensemble

The final performance of this year’s Summer Academy brings together the best of the European bunch to perform in a musical-theatre performance with New Opera Amsterdam. Together they’ll perform dark renditions of Hans Werner Henze’s Sonata für 6 Spieler, Arnold Schönberg’s Pierrot Lunaire and Peter Maxwell Davies’ Miss Donnithorne’s Maggot.