‘Mens in de Massa’ is a compelling program in which the Berlage Saxophone Quartet and violinist Noa Wildschut give voice to both the struggle and the harmony of being human. At its core lie two ancient impulses: the drive for individual self-realization and the longing to dissolve into the collective.

This tension is expressed through a wide range of musical forms, with arrangements by Max Knigge and Peter Vigh. In Tzigane and the Blues by Maurice Ravel, and Le Bœuf sur le toit by Darius Milhaud, soloist and quartet merge into a powerful symbol of connection; at other times they stand in stark opposition, as in Fratres by Arvo Pärt.

Intimate solo pieces by Max Knigge for the four different saxophones portray the individual breaking free from the crowd, while works by Hildegard von Bingen and Béla Bartók’s Duos seek out dialogue instead—moments of harmony, confrontation, and reconciliation.

The program can be heard from October 5, 2026 till 28 May, 2027 at different venues.

Program:

Darius Milhaud – le boeuf sur le toît deel 1 (with Noa)
Max Knigge – Solo for soprano
Hildegard van Bingen – Duos & Trios (with Noa)
Max Knigge – Solo for alto
Arvo Pärt / Arr.: Peter Vigh – Fratres (with Noa)
Max Knigge – Solo for tenor
Bela Bartok – Selection from Duos (with Noa)
Max Knigge – Solo for baritone
Maurice Ravel / Arr.: Max Knigge – Tzigane (with Noa)
Darius Milhaud – le boeuf sur le toît deel 2 (with Noa)
Maurice Ravel Arr.: Max Knigge – Blues (with Noa)