A Very Special Event!
Domstad Blazers
perform a
Benefit Concert for Mulanje Mission Hospital
The wind ensemble Domstad Blazers bring us a delightful and varied program. They open the evening with Ravel’s much loved Pavane, in this case arranged for winds. Then comes the somewhat lesser-known Serenade by Josef Suk, originally for strings but tonight in a splendidly colorful and virtuosic arrangement for winds. In the second half of the program we’ll hear the Sonatina for 16 wind instruments, a late work by the great master Richard Strauss. Normally made up of eleven players (ten winds plus contra-bass), the ensemble has expanded especially for this evening’s program in order to bring this Strauss masterpiece to us.
On the Program:
Maurice Ravel – Pavane pour une infante défunte
Josef Suk – Serenade (op.6) (arr. Mark Popkin)
Richard Strauss – Sonatine Nr. 1 für 16 Blasinstrumenten (“Aus der Werkstatt eines Invaliden”)
The Domstad Wind Ensemble was founded over 40 years ago by several wind players from the Utrecht Student Orchestras and the Netherlands Student Orchestra. It has grown into a professional ensemble of dedicated amateur musicians. The ensemble's core instrumentation includes oboes, clarinets, horns, and bassoons, supplemented by flutes and a double bass. Its repertoire encompasses music for traditional wind octet, such as the serenades by Mozart, Krommer, and Beethoven, as well as works for larger wind ensembles, such as Van Otterloo's Symphonietta. Music with strings also, including Dvorak's famous Wind Serenade, is also among the appealing music for wind ensembles. In addition, it tackles major orchestral works arranged for wind ensemble, such as Beethoven's 1st and 7th Symphonies and the operas Tosca (Puccini), Carmen (Bizet), and Die verkaufte Braut (Smetena).
The Domstad Wind Ensemble regularly gives concerts on Sunday afternoons. It has appeared several times at the annual "hofjesconcerten" in Amsterdam's Jordaan district, opened the Mozart Year in Zeist, and performed at various festivals, such as the Nijenhuis Festival at Nijenhuis Castle in Heino, the summer festival in Goedereede, the Parkfeest celebrating the 50th anniversary of Amstelpark, and the Utrecht Blaast Buiten (Utrecht Wind Outdoors) festival. The children's concerts with Peter and the Wolf and Babar the Elephant were very successful. In the summer of 2022, the ensemble traveled to Terschelling to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
Leon Bosch
studied clarinet and conducting at the Conservatory of Maastricht, completing his studies in 1983. From 1980 he was clarinetist with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchetra. From 1989 until his retirement last year he was the principle clarinetist with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra.
He has also played with numerous chamber ensembles, including The Schubert Consort, the Berlage Blazers Ensemble, the Viotta-ensemble and Musique Instrumentale Mosanne, Holland Wind Players, Ensemble Musica Rossi, Complesso musicale Cartizze and Blazers Octet ‘008‘.
Since his conservatory time Leon Bosch has been active as a conductor in the world of wind orchestras, serving for a number of years as conductor of, among others, orchestras in Abcoude, Zaandijk and Marken. Various orchestras, such as CREA Orchestra, Krashna Musica Delft, and Het Orkest in Amsterdam regularly invite him as conductor of the wind sections. He was also guest with the UVA Orchestra J.P. Sweelinck, the Utrechts Studenten Consert, the VUorkest and Philharmonie Amsterdam.
Mulanje Mission Hospital
Join us for this Gala Evening for the benefit of Mulanje Mission Hospital. Tonight’s artists are very kindly and generously offering this concert without financial interest so that 100% of the proceeds can go to MMH! The English Reformed Church has for many years supported this hospital in Malawi and these benefit concerts are a major part of that long history.
