Wednesday 7th October there is another episode of Thea Derks' programme Panorama de Leeuw about Reinbert de Leeuw.
Episode XII, 7th October 2015 – Action Nutcracker
Thea Derks is making a chronicle of Dutch musical life on the basis of her biography.
In the last episode we saw how in October 1969 Tilburg students disrupted a concert by the Brabants Orchestra, in order to create more attention for modern day music. Successfully: during a discussion afterwards chief conductor Hein Jordans promised from now on to programme modern works. 2 months later they played a piece by living composer Robert Heppener.
The Brabants commotion didn't only attract attention from the press but also from Reinbert de Leeuw, who decided to organise a similar protest in Amsterdam That became the notorious ‘Action Nutcracker’ on 17th November 1969 in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. As soon as Bernard Haitink raised his arms for a flute concerto by Quantz, the rebels organised in the words of De Leeuw ‘an irrestistibly beautiful, mysterious sound’ using castanets, rattles and flutes.
