Looking back on

the successful

Chamber Music Festival

Successful concerts

A few strong men expertly guide the concert grand piano down the stairs of Eerde Castle, thereby erasing the last traces of a very successful festival. The more than 200 musicians have now safely returned home after traveling all over the Netherlands. And us? We’re basking in the satisfaction of having held seventy successful concerts at Natuurmonumenten’s most beautiful locations.

The highlight?

So many! If only we could be everywhere at once. The performances in the Waterloopbos were like something out of a fairy tale. Amid the moss-covered ponds and water features, string and wind instruments ushered in the twilight, and by the end of the concert, the trees stood out in stark contrast against the midnight-blue sky.

from east to west

At the same time, Debussy’s colorful piano works were being performed at Oldenaller Castle. The atmospherically lit Gobelin Hall of the newly restored Eerde Castle served as the setting for Vivaldi’s *The Four Seasons*, famous opera arias, Eastern jazz, and intensely beautiful cello music played on an instrument dating back, remarkably, to the castle’s own era: a Rombouts cello from 1699.

At the Belevenisboerderij near Rotterdam, the children went on an exciting musical adventure with a red umbrella. After the show, they could run around in the OERRR Forest or feed the lambs with a bottle.

entertaining stories

At Hackfort Castle, the forest ranger told fascinating stories about the baron, his estate, and the vegetable garden. In the hayloft that evening, a musical mix of Dowland, bluegrass, and Radiohead filled the air.

At the Schaep & Burgh Estate, jazz trios and classical trios took turns performing, and there was even a fantastic rendition of sultry French chansons.
And in De Wieden, music lovers boarded an electric boat for their concert to explore the beautiful nature reserve.

The most intimate performances were probably the concerts at De Kluis, a white one-man monastery in South Limburg. For a handful of visitors (but a packed little church), Bach was performed in a very exclusive setting on the violin, accompanied by an a cappella choir. On Sundays, passersby on their walks caught glimpses through the open doors of a beautifully intimate dialogue between the harp and the clarinet.
And we almost forgot to mention the special performances in the historic greenhouses of Mookerheide.

And the rugged forts of Uitermeer, Nieuwersluis, and Nigtevecht, which showcased both their powerful and sensitive sides this weekend with robust jazz and tender baroque music.

Unexpected Encounters

We hope everyone had a wonderful time—visitors, musicians, tour guides, forest rangers, and volunteers alike. And we hope that the combination of music, nature, and fantastic historic sites led to some lovely, unexpected encounters. Next week, we’ll be sitting down with Natuurmonumenten to see if we can organize an event like this for a third time. If you ask us now, we already know the answer!