Arnold & Britten: Works for Violin & Orchestra (Live) Mathieu van Bellen, Zeeland Orchestra & Ivan Meylemans

• Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006): 4 Scottish Dances, Op. 59:
• 1 No. 1, Pesante 02:03
• 2 No. 2, Vivace 02:11
• 3 No. 3, Allegretto 03:07
• 4 No. 4, Con brio 01:40
• Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 15:
• 5 I. Moderato con moto 10:11
• 6 II. Vivace 08:40
• 7 III. Passacaglia 15:13
• Total Runtime 43:05

Info for Arnold & Britten: Works for Violin & Orchestra (Live)

Malcom Arnold wrote his “Four Scottish Dances” inspired by Scottish folk songs and dances. Each of the four has its own pace, vibe and character. The music is light and cheerful and sometimes with a wink. Benjamin Britten completed in 1939 a 3-part violin concert. It is characterized by virtuoso passages and lyrics. Without any doubt, this works reflects the great concern of Britten about the situation in the world, the increasing hostilities in Europe and Asia. In 1940, the work had its premiere in America, the country where Britten composed the work. After the war, the work was seldom played. In recent years it has gained a lot of popularity. Matthieu van Bellen loves this concerto and is one of the younger violinists who has it on his repertoire.

Mathieu van Bellen, violin
Zeeland Orchestra
Ivan Meylemans, conductor

Mathieu van Bellen
was born in the Netherlands and started studying the violin in Belgium with Nico Baltussen. He continued with Jan Repko, first at the Amsterdam Conservatoire and then at Chethams School of Music in Manchester, for which he was awarded a scholarship by The VandenEnde Foundation. He continued at the Royal College of Music in London with Itzhak Rashkovsky and at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin, with Ulf Wallin.

Laureate of the Yehudi Menuhin Competition, Wieniawski Competition, Prinses Christina Competition and Oskar Back Competition he is a recipient of MBF, RPS Emily Anderson Prize, Philharmonia Martin Musical Scholarship Fund Awards and Making Music Awards. He was also awarded the Bach Prize and the String Player of the Year 2008 at the Royal College of Music. He has given concerts in Europe, Asia and the USA, playing in major music festivals such as the Festspiele MV in Germany, and chamber music festivals all over Europe. He has appeared several times on television and radio, and has performed in halls like the Purcell Room and Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre, London, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Tel Aviv Opera House, and Megaron in Athens, performing with orchestras such as the National Orchestra of Belgium, Gelders Orkest, Holland Symfonia, Southbank Sinfonia, and Camerata Athena.

Violinist of the Busch Trio, Mathieu is an active chamber musician, having played chamber music concerts with artists including Shlomo Mintz, Miguel da Silva, Michael Collins and Bruno Giuranna. With the Busch Trio he has performed in Europe and Asia, playing in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall London, BOZAR Brussels and NCPA Beijing. They are currently recording the entire Dvorak chamber works with piano on Alpha Classics, and in 2016 they won the prestigious Dutch Kersjes Prijs.

In 2013 he founded the Scaldis Kamermuziek Festival, a yearly chamber music festival in the area of Zeeland in the Netherlands.

His first CD was released in November 2014, with solo works by Bach, Blaha and Bartók. In the same year he was concert master of the European Union Youth Orchestra, working with Vasily Petrenko and Vladimir Ashkenazy including concerts at the BBC Proms, London and Concertgebouw Amsterdam.

In 2015 Mathieu won the Grachtenfestival Prize, resulting in a residency during the 2016 Grachtenfestival. In 2017 he was soloist of the Netherlands Student Orchestra and he was asked to succeed Christiaan Bor as artistic director of the Reizend MuziekGezelschap, also known as the Amsterdam Chamber Music Society.

Mathieu plays on the ex-Adolf Busch G.B. Guadagnini violin (Turin, 1783), using a Dominique Peccatte bow, both on loan to him thanks to private sponsorship, for which he is most grateful.

Booklet for Arnold & Britten: Works for Violin & Orchestra (Live)