On Tuesday, I got my revenge for the failed attempt 2.5 years ago to see my favorite pianist Hélène Grimaud in concert, at the Anton Philipszaal in Den Haag (and at a ridiculously low price, with the NS 2-for-1 promotion).
She played Rachmaninov’s second concerto; before that, the orchestra played a romantic work by the unknown Dutch composer Jan van Gilse, and after the interval, they played Tchaikovsky’s 5th symphony. Although it’s not really the most daring repertoire, the whole concert was very enjoyable to listen to. BTW, 70-year old Neeme Järvi was still vividly swinging and dancing.
And although I never take illegal pictures at classical concerts, for belle Hélène I made an exception to the rule.
The only small disappointment was that she didn’t have a session to sign her CDs, but oh well.. Can’t have everything…
And the most surprising thing of the evening, was that they started the concert with the national anthem… We had completely forgotten that it was a special day for the royal family: Prinsjesdag…
