HortusFestival Rotterdam

The greenest chamber music festival in the Netherlands is coming to Buitenplaats Rozenlust.

It HortusFestival 2025 presents concerts with a beautiful and special story at beautiful locations. Outside the large concert halls, among the greenery, you will find the DoelenEnsemble.

Program I: Chamber Music (Concert Ensemble)

Outside the large concert halls, among the greenery, you will find the DoelenEnsemble. The ensemble plays a program that puts the classical piano trio in a new light. With great thanks to donors, the DoelenEnsemble owns Julius Röntgen's original grand piano, which will tour all locations. His Piano Trio in C major opus 50 from 1904 was composed on this grand piano(!). A unique possibility; Röntgen, like you've never heard it before.

The DoelenEnsemble continues with the piano trio The Road Not Taken by the young French composer Camille Pépin.

After the break, the ensemble plays in a special composition: the celesta joins the trio for Die Zeitby Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky. The enchanting sound of the celesta gives this final piece an almost magical dimension. If you don't know his music yet, now is the time! We play two works by Rabinovitch. His music is characterized by memories of musical moments in music that we all know. Its repetition creates a melancholic dramatic experience, as if you do not want or cannot let go of that moment. In the end he does so, but only after a very long journey of memories.

Program II: Working for Piano Duo (Concert Piano Duo)

For this program we invite you to a musical journey that starts with Igor Stravinsky's Sonata for 2 pianos. This work, composed in 1940, takes us into an intriguing dialogue between the two pianos. Stravinsky mixes classical elements with modern harmonies, creating a playful and dynamic atmosphere. While the pianos converse with each other, we hear the masterful counterpoint and the unpredictable melodies that enchant the audience.

After this neoclassical discovery, we continue our journey with the Concerto for two pianos by Peter Jan Wagemans. This contemporary piece explores the interaction between the pianos in an innovative way. With complex rhythmic structures and rich harmonies, Wagemans invites us to experience the virtuosity of the pianists. The dynamic and expressive musical conversation keeps us on the edge of our seats.

We conclude our journey with Musiquepopular by Rabinovitch. This work is harmonically linked to contemporary folklore, variety theater and pop music. Characteristic of this composition is a repetitive but constantly changing development. Rabinovitch himself says that in Musique he transforms popular 'original affective states into pathological states, into obsessive neuroses'.

The festival travels through Amsterdam and Utrecht and ends in home town Rotterdam. Discover the city in a new way: in peace, green and with lots of beautiful roses!

Note: The program differs per time slot and day. Select the ticket that corresponds to the program you want to see.

The doors open 20 minutes prior to the concert.

Extra: A 30-minute concert surrounded by salt blocks from the Himalayas and matching music.

At the Rozenlust location in Rotterdam we discovered a beautiful space, made entirely of salt blocks from the Himalayas. The salt blocks have a cleansing effect on the respiratory tract and your body. Dreaming away to the music of the DoelenEnsemble, you will be cleansed from head to toe. A once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Select your desired time slot at checkout here: https://www.eventbrite.nl/e/hortusfestival-rotterdam-muziek-uit-de-himalaya-tickets-1570741593389?aff