TOM FELTGEN - 33 RIVERSIDE DRIVE

An insanely fun programme by Start in Splendor Prize winner Tom Felgen who is 100% Splendor. We start cosily in the bar with Gershwin and Stravinsky, among others, and end impressively with Rachmaninov in the Great Hall, among others.

The concert features the two contrasting worlds of music that coexisted in the United States of the 1920s. On the one hand, the music that was influenced by jazz, art-deco and modern society, contrasting with the European musical tradition that was brought by émigré musicians to the USA.

The program is centered around Rachmaninov's Cello Sonata. Thinking about the life of the composer and of the shared experiences of his peers led me to the idea that I could invite the audience to recreate the atmosphere of Rachmaninov’s New York apartment, located on 33 Riverside Drive. It was a sanctuary from the modern hustle and bustle of New York, where Russian music, art and literature was held sacrosanct.

"33 Riverside Drive " is the cashing in of the Start in Splendor Prize, which was awarded to Tom Felgen in 2020. The Start in Splendor Prize is part of the National Cello Competition, and is awarded on behalf of the National Cello Competition, the Cello Biennale Amsterdam and Splendor Amsterdam. Eligible are promising young cellists who, in addition to an exceptional mastery of their instrument, demonstrate exceptional programming talent. The artistically strongest and most creative programme idea is rewarded with the Start in Splendor Prize: the winner gets the opportunity and the budget to realise and produce his or her unique concert programme in Splendor. Previous winners were Lidy Blijdorp (2016) and Kalle de Bie (2017).

Tom Feltgen - (cello & concept)
Hawijch Elders (violin)
Noriko Yabe (piano)

Coaching: Sarah Jeffrey, Johan van Iersel & David Dramm