Rob Zuidam has been awarded the Kees van Baaren-Prize 2010 for his opera Rage d'amours. Zuidam received the prize on December 12th in The Hague. On December 11 and 12 , the Residentie Orchestra, conducted by Otto Tausk, gave concert-performances of Rage d'amours, sung by a.o. soprano Claron McFadden . Further plans for fully staged performances in Germany in 2012 are being developed.
The Kees van Baaren-Prize is intended for compositions with remarkable dramatic qualities, and is brought into life by the Johan Wagenaar-Foundation and the Citycouncil of The Hague. It has previously been awarded to Bloed II by Cornelis de Bondt (in 2003), Metrum by Diderik Wagenaar (1988), De Tijd by Louis Andriessen (1983), Abschied by Reinbert de Leeuw (1977) and Time Machine by Otto Ketting (1973).
The jury writes in its report : "Rob Zuidam is more than any other living composer in the Netherlands above all a creator of operas. Apart from being a composer, Zuidam is also a gifted librettist, which strenghtens the relation between the story-line and the musical choices. Of this method, the jury regards Rage d'amours to be the finest example."
Rage d'amours is Zuidam's second opera. It received its first performance in August 2003 at Tanglewood. The European premiere took place in June 2005 during the Holland Festival in Amsterdam in a staging by Guy Cassiers.
(Volkskrant 16-4-10)
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(NRCN