9/9/2023 –

On September 8, Xavier’s commission for the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra titled Madhouse saw its world premiere under the musical guidance of Gianandrea Noseda and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. The RCO’s annual Opening Night was held at the NDSM wharf in Amsterdam Noord and was viewed by over five thousand spectators live with thousands more tuning in to the live radio and subsequent television broadcast. During the premiere, Dutch visual artist Niels “Shoe” Meulman created an original piece of art in the style of calligraffiti, which he pioneered at the end of last century.

Madhouse turned out to be a great success, with another performance scheduled in Washington DC with the National Symphony Orchestra with its chief conductor maestro Noseda. Additionally, Dutch newspaper NRC wrote about Xavier’s new work: “Absolute high point of the evening […] with piano, muted trumpet, ratchet and snarling trombones, Van de Poll created an ecclectic work brimming with jazzy elements which are (barely) recognisable. Through incomprehensible metre changes he cites jazz classics embedded in a classical idiom (Stravinsky, Prokofiev) which flash by so rapidly that the distinction between citation and original material becomes a vague one. A very fun piece.”

For a link to the television recording, please click here. For the live radio registration, follow this link.

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