Archive 2018 

Borders and boundaries were prominent themes in director Ruth Mackenzie’s last festival: national borders, boundaries of acceptable behaviour, as well as divides between artists and audiences. National borders were crossed in double concerts by the Armenian Gurdjieff Ensemble together with the Syrian Hewar ensemble. The Dutch Metropole Orchestra shared the stage at Carré with soloists from the Syrian Big Band. Festival composer George Benjamin explored how love, passion and violence are interconnected. The focus programme on Benjamin showcased his work’s development, from his very-first vocal compositions to his large-scale opera.