Mussorgsky’s ‘Boris Godunov’ in premiere concert as NTR Spotlight Artist 2018/19

Sep 3, 2018

This season, Pablo Heras-Casado is the spotlight artist for the NTR Saturday Matinee concert series at the Het Concertgebouw. Due for three performances throughout the 2018/19 season, his initial appearance on September 8 will include the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Netherlands Radio Choir, and the Flemish Radio Choir in his first-ever performance of Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov.

The matinee concert features a fantastic roster of soloists, including Alexander Tsymbalyuk in the title role, Olivia Vermeulen as Fjodor, Tetiana Miyus as Xenia, Cécile van de Sant as Xenia’s nurse, and Frank van Aken as Sjoejski. In addition to his first engagement, Heras-Casado conducts the Freiburger Barockorchester and violinist Isabelle Faust in an all-Mendelssohn program on September 29. His final performance on April 6 will include the voice of Marina Heredia, pianist Alexander Melnikov, and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in Stravinsky’s Pulcinella, de Falla’s El amor brujo, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and a brand new work by Mayke Nas.

Artistic director of the Saturday Matinee series Kees Vlaardingerbroek says of Heras-Casado “He is like the Saturday Matinee himself, in his broad and special repertoire choice, his curiosity and high standard of execution. Whether he plays old music, new music, or everything in between, it is of exceptional class. With him, for example, you completely forget the cliché that Mendelssohn is merely a sugarbread baker. His Mendelssohn is fierce, full of drama and continues to fascinate.” For Pablo, he keeps his approach simple saying “My main goal is to serve the music. And it is a challenge to do that as well as possible in every respect.”

Read Pablo’s entire interview feature in the NTR Saturday Matinee season brochure on pages 18 & 19. These concerts will be broadcasted worldwide via livestream from NPO Radio 4.