The concert “Myths and Muses” at the Muze van Zuid festival centers entirely on the compelling work of the Dutch-Argentine composer Carlos Micháns, alongside the influential Dutch musicologist and composer Marius Flothuis. The acclaimed harpist Joost Willemze brings the mythological Greek underworld to life through Trois moments d’Orphée (2022), a masterpiece composed by Carlos Micháns. This contemporary piece was specially written by Micháns for Willemze. It musically narrates the tragic myth of Orpheus descending into the realm of the dead with his lyre, which is beautifully interpreted through the harp, to rescue his beloved Eurydice. Micháns utilizes the unique textures of the harp to weave a deeply emotional, melancholic, and cinematic narrative. His expressive language, paired with the poignant work of Flothuis, serves as the thematic anchor for this concert, bridging the gap between ancient mythology and the early 20th-century French soundscapes that influenced the musical life of interwar Amsterdam. This performance takes place on Friday, September 18, 2026, from 13:00 to 14:00 at Community Center De Coenen, located at Johan M. Coenenstraat 4 in Amsterdam.

Program:

Myths and Muses and the love for France

Claude Debussy (1862–1918)

• Danseuses de Delphes (Dancers of Delphi)
• Voiles (Sails / Veils)
• La fille aux cheveux de lin (The Girl with the Flaxen Hair)

Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924)

• Une châtelaine en sa tour (A Lady in Her Tower)

Marcel Tournier (1879–1951)

• Vers la source dans le bois (Towards the Fountain in the Woods)
• Images, Suite III

Marius Flothuis (1914–2001)

• Pour le tombeau d’Orphée (For the Tomb of Orpheus)

Carlos Micháns (1950)*

• Trois moments d’Orphée (2022) (Three Moments of Orpheus):
  • Orphée enragé par la mort d’Eurydice (Orpheus enraged by the death of Eurydice)
  • La descente d’Orphée dans l’Hadès (Orpheus’ descent into Hades)
  • La tête d’Orphée emportée par l’Hèbres (The head of Orpheus carried away by the Hebrus)

Composed ‘pour Joost Willemze’, supported by the Mieke Fund (established by Marijke and Dick Snellenberg).