Festival Dag in de Branding kicks off on Friday evening with a world premiere for a large orchestra by Max Knigge. He composed Eliza May specifically for the Residentie Orkest. In addition, the orchestra will perform Grieg’s well known piano concerto, featuring Antti Siirala as the soloist, as well as the rarely performed Sixth Symphony by Shostakovich. The conductor for the evening is Daniel Raiskin.

Max Knigge is one of the most promising composers of his generation. His work has previously been featured at Dag in de Branding, but never on such a grand scale. Eliza May is named after the protagonist of Het lied van ooievaar en dromedaris by Anjet Daanje, one of the biggest literary successes in recent years. Knigge has set several scenes from the novel to music. He explains, “I was completely captivated by the mysterious and fascinating world surrounding the character Eliza May Drayden. I’m still immersed in it, and I’m trying to capture its colors, mysteries, characters, and motifs in music.”