Retrospectives

Reunion (summer 2021)

6 augustus 2021

In August 2021, after 1.5 years of silence, it was finally time for (a) 'Reunion': the summer tour of Jong Metropole. The tour was named after the new composition Reunion by Damiano Pascarelli, the winner of the Rogier van Otterloo Award 2019. Pascarelli completed the piece during the lockdown in the spring of 2020, giving it the name Reunion: the work represents hope and the desire to be able to play together again. Reunion is musically inspired by the work of Rogier van Otterloo, including the piece Esther, written as film music for the famous Dutch movie Soldaat van Oranje (‘Soldier of Orange’) from 1977.

Jong Metropole, consisting of 48 musicians, was conducted by the German conductor, arranger and band leader Jochen Neuffer. Kika Sprangers (saxophone) was the soloist during the performances, including in the piece Reunion.


 
After a private concert on Friday evening 6 August in Theater Orpheus in Apeldoorn, Jong Metropole played on Saturday evening 7 August in Nijmegen and on Sunday evening 8 August at Teuge air base (near Apeldoorn). The last concert of the summer tour was held in the airplane hangar at this base. That evening, Kika Sprangers won the Rogier van Otterloo Award, the incentive prize of the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds.

Photo 7 August Robbie 't Jong, 8 August Pieter Kunnen

Youthful enthousiasm & courage

Jong Metropole performed three thrilling concerts with the fantastic soloist Kika Sprangers, the premiere of Reunion, great orchestra members and... with full concert halls! The audience was thrilled: “They played with youthful enthusiasm and a lot of courage”. And soloist Kika, who herself played in the orchestra five years ago, said afterwards: “I thought it was magical and loved every second of it.”
 
Jong Metropole was also invited to perform at the international youth orchestra festival Young Euro Classic in Berlin on August 10, but this concert has unfortunately been canceled due to the travel restrictions surrounding the coronavirus.