Ifé

Angélique Kidjo, Maki Namekawa, Tunde Jegede, Amsterdam Sinfonietta

Encounter between Africa and Western classics

Singer Angélique Kidjo sings about creation myths from Benin in her native language of Yoruba to music by minimal-composer Philip Glass. An evening that brings music styles and cultures together.

Philip Glass concluded his collaboration with Angelique Kidjo with the words: ‘Angelique, together we have built a bridge that no one has walked on before’.

Ifé is also the title of the evening programme surrounding this ground-breaking work in which many more musical boundaries are crossed. In Concerto Grosso, composer Errollyn Wallen, born in Belize, mixes the old and the new: from baroque to jazz and minimal. And especially for this evening, Tunde Jegede, kora player, cellist and composer with Nigerian roots, has written a new arrangement for Exile & Return for West African kora and string orchestra in which he will perform as a soloist himself.

Encounter between Africa and Western classics

Singer Angélique Kidjo sings about creation myths from Benin in her native language of Yoruba to music by minimal-composer Philip Glass. An evening that brings music styles and cultures together.

Philip Glass concluded his collaboration with Angelique Kidjo with the words: ‘Angelique, together we have built a bridge that no one has walked on before’.

Ifé is also the title of the evening programme surrounding this ground-breaking work in which many more musical boundaries are crossed. In Concerto Grosso, composer Errollyn Wallen, born in Belize, mixes the old and the new: from baroque to jazz and minimal. And especially for this evening, Tunde Jegede, kora player, cellist and composer with Nigerian roots, has written a new arrangement for Exile & Return for West African kora and string orchestra in which he will perform as a soloist himself.

The Japanese pianist Maki Namekawa has collaborated with Philip Glass before. She will be performing in different parts this evening, from Ifé to Young Apollo by composer Benjamin Britten - a familiar name at the Holland Festival. Kidjo will end the evening singing. She will perform a classic song by Erik Satie, sing her favourite French chansons in new arrangements and finish with some of her own most popular songs.

Programme

Tunde Jegede (1972)

Still Moment (1996)

kora solo

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)

Young Apollo (1939)

Errollyn Wallen (1958)

Concerto Grosso (2008)

Philip Glass (1937)

Ifé (2014) arr. Michael Riesman

interval

Tunde Jegede (1972)

Exile & Return (2014)

Erik Satie (1866-1925)

Gymnopedie no. 3 (1988)

Erik Satie (1866-1925)

Je te veux (1902)

Édith Piaf (1915-1963)

La foule (1957)

George Brassens (1921-1981)

Il n’y a pas d’amour heureux (1953)

Édith Piaf (1915-1963)

Padam Padam (1951)

Angélique Kidjo (1960)

Malaïka (1993)

Angélique Kidjo (1960)

Kelele (2010)

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dates

Fri June 24 8:30 PM

Prices

  • default from € 25
  • CJP/student € 12

language & duration

  • Language no problem

  • 1 hour 45 minutes (met 1 pauze)

  • © Yoshitaka Kono (Tunde Yegede)

  • © Andreas H. Bitesnich (Maki Namekawa)

  • © Marco Borggreve (Amsterdam Sinfonietta)

Meet Angélique Kidjo

Meet Angélique Kidjo

The French-Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo is associate artist of this year’s Holland Festival, together with theatre director Nicolas Stemann. Shows to be featured at the festival in June are Mother Nature, Yemandja and Ifé.

Watch our conversation with Angélique here and click here to read a conversation about her work and motivations.

more angélique kidjo

more music