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Nederlands Blazers Ensemble

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Nederlands Blazers Ensemble is a wind ensemble made up of musicians from major Dutch symphony orchestras. It was founded in 1959 by Thom de Klerk, principal bassoonist of the Concertgebouw Orchestra. At the Amsterdam conservatory he had formed a student wind quintet with Martine Bakker, Edo de Waart, George Pieterson, Joep Terwey and Jaap Verhaar. De Klerk wanted to expand the group to play serenades for winds by, among others, Mozart and Dvořák, and to make it the I Musici of wind players. The core was an octet with two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons and two horns, but the group was often larger.

Music and breakthrough

After De Klerk's death in 1966 Edo de Waart took over his role. In that period the ensemble made many recordings and several composers wrote for the group. After De Waart left in 1975 it played without a conductor, and from 1985 to 1988 Nikolaus Harnoncourt was its conductor. In 1988 the ensemble was reformed with younger players, under the artistic direction of the oboist Bart Schneemann.

Influence

Today the ensemble plays in the Concertgebouw, Paradiso and the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ and tours abroad. It makes its own programmes around a single composer or soloist, with, for example, Kevin Volans, Theo Loevendie, Guus Janssen, Ayub Ogada, the Hilliard Ensemble and Jordi Savall. Its records include Rossini for Wind, Arrangements for Wind and an arrangement of West Side Story. The ensemble shows how much colour and space a group of wind players can have.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Rossini for Wind and notice how an operatic melody, which you normally know from singers, is taken over by oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Categories: Artists