The Banda Sinfónica de L’Artística Manisense performed the Spanish premiere of Johan de Meij’s clarinet concerto Trittico Eclettico on 23 July at 19:00 in the Teatro de la Unió Musical de Llíria. The band, conducted by Bram Sniekers, featured Arno Piters, requinto player of the Royal Concertgebouw Orquestra Amsterdam, as clarinet soloist.
The work Trittico Eclettico had its world premiere on 11 July in Kerkrade, and L’Artística Manisense performed the premiere in Spain on 23 July. In addition, L’Artística Manisense had the composer Johan de Meij as guest conductor, who conducted his work The Year 2020. The work, which is also being performed in Spain for the first time, was composed on the occasion of the pandemic and reflects what the year 2020 means for the Dutch composer.
The concert programme, free of charge, was completed with the works Henry V by Patrick Doyle and Sinfonietta #1 by Bart Picqueur. The concert was part of the collaboration between the two UNESCO Creative Cities in the province of Valencia. Manises was declared a UNESCO Creative City in the modality of Crafts and Popular Arts last March, and thus joined Llíria, which has been part of this network in the modality of Music since 2019.
The composer Johan de Meij
Johan de Meij (Netherlands, 1953) has a distinguished international career as a composer and arranger. His catalogue includes original works, transcriptions of orchestral works, arrangements of film soundtracks and musicals. His works include Symphony No. 1 – The Lord of the Rings, based on Tolkien’s book. He has received several awards, such as the Sudler International Composition Prize, the First Prize at the Corciano International Composition Competition in Italy, and the International Composition Prize of the Sultanate of Oman.
Solista Arno Piters
Arno Piters (Netherlands, 1980) is a requinto player in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, the best known and most respected symphony orchestra in the Netherlands and considered one of the ten best orchestras in the world. He is a guest performer in ensembles such as the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Cologne Radio Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and the World Orchestra for Peace.
L’Artística Manisense Symphonic Band
The Sociedad Musical L’Artística Manisense was born in 1968, and with it its symphonic band. A group that has won the main prizes in competitions such as the Certamen Internacional de Música Vila de Altea or the Certamen Internacional de Bandas de Valencia and has participated as a guest of the organisation in the Certamen Internacional de Kerkrade. The most recent award of the Banda Sinfónica de L’Artística Manisense has been the First Prize in the 2019 Cullera Contest, under the baton of its current conductor Bram Sniekers.