Supernovae is a new large-scale musical project produced by Konstantyn Napolov, in collaboration with composer Christiaan Richter and artistic director and pianist Tomoko Mukaiyama. This more than 70-minute performance brings together two pianos and four percussionists of the Napolov Percussion Group in an explosive and colourful sound world where contemporary music, rhythm, space, and theatrical imagination come together.

Inspired by the phenomenon of supernovae — the powerful explosions through which stars release enormous amounts of energy and light at the end of their life cycle — Richter explores the relationship between creation and destruction, silence and eruption, the individual and the collective. The composition unfolds as a cosmic journey in which layers of sound accumulate, collide, and transform into new musical landscapes.

Supernovae transcends the traditional concert stage. The explosion of sound does not take place only on stage but expands throughout the entire concert hall. More than 100 multicultural percussion instruments form a living instrumentarium, played by both the musicians and the audience. This creates a unique spatial experience in which the boundaries between performer and listener begin to dissolve.

The combination of two pianos and four percussionists creates an exceptional palette of colours, rhythms, and textures: from subtle, almost transparent sound fields to monumental rhythmic eruptions. Supernovae brings together the creative worlds of Richter, Mukaiyama, and the Napolov Percussion Group in an interdisciplinary work where virtuosity, physical energy, and strong visual imagination are central.

This unique concert experience invites the audience not only to hear music, but to experience it physically and emotionally — as a cosmic explosion of sound, movement, and space.

Performers

  • Solo piano – Tomoko Mukaiyama
  • Second piano – Pauline Post
  • Napolov Percussion Group – Konstantyn Napolov / Christian Smith / Baue Kunstman / Kalina Vladovska

Interview with the composer Moritz Eggert on his percussion concerto – Master & Servant.
This work exist in two versions:
Large ensemble and soloist – commissioned by DGCF, Orkest de Ereprijs and Erns van Siemens Schtiftung
Large symphony orchestra ans soloist – Commissioned by Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin (an ensemble in the ROC) – Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Vladimir Jurowski and Impuls Festival.

Classical music is an art form in which the concept of hierarchy is deeply ingrained. From the free-form musical ensembles of the Renaissance to the civil servant-like structure of contemporary orchestras, music has come a long way of establishing a structure of ‘masters’ (maestros or musical directors) and ‘servants’ (the tutti musicians). Even though in the best moments these hierarchies are transcended by the mutual will to create an extraordinary musical experience, the many #metoo-and abuse of power scandals of the classical music world shows that these structures also create a lot of problems.

The traditional solo ‘concerto’ is an interesting hybrid of this concept. We know that originally these concertos were conducted by the soloists themselves, but in the modern performance practice there are in effect often two masters, one who ‘dominates’ the soloist (the conductor) and the soloist who ‘dominates’ the ensemble. ‘Who is winning?’ is a question many listeners ask themselves sometimes, and musical history is full of droll anecdotes of soloists competing with the conductors in one way or another.

It has long interested me as a composer to explore this interesting dichotomy playfully. Percussion like no other instrument has an ability to give precise “commands”. But will the ensemble react in a way the soloist expects? Or in a completely different manner? My piece, therefore, has two parts – one exploring the ‘master’ side of the soloist, but another one making him the ‘servant’ as well.

Of course, none of these roles must be set in stone, and for me, they only exist in a virtual “wild space” of music creation, in the real world they would have to be negotiated again and again in a hopefully free world.
– Moritz Eggert, 21.2.2022

🎻 Discover more about composer Moritz Eggert – https://www.moritzeggert.de/
🎻 Discover more about soloist Konstantyn Napolov:

Home


🎻 Discover more about Orkest de Ereprijs:
https://www.ereprijs.nl/nl/
🎶 Learn about the piece: Master & Servant by Moritz Eggert
https://www.dutchgoldencollection.nl/nl/volledige-lijst-van-werken/moritz-eggert–master–servant-
📖 Purchase the score: https://www.ricordi.com/en-US/Catalogue.aspx/details/456040

Master & Servant – Percussion Concerto (Large Ensemble Version)

Konstantyn Napolov – Solo Percussion
Orkest De Ereprijs, conducted by Gregory Charette

Recorded live at De Nieuwe Kerk, The Hague, as part of the Amare concert programming.

The large symphony orchestra version is commissioned by Vladimir Jurowski for the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and the IMPULS! Festival.

Camera: Peter Budding
Editing: Peter Budding and Konstantyn Napolov
Sound: Jeroen van Dijk

Interview with the composer Tansy Davies on her percussion concerto – Stone Codes.

Large ensemble and soloist – commissioned by DGCF and Orkest de Ereprijs.

An AI roller-skater glides through cities, both ancient and modern
Making acrobatic swerves, revealing new panoramas
New constellations: etched in rhythmical code

Kaleidoscopic twists open up vistas: revelations of zeros and ones
Manifest as deep, funky rhythms: Earth’s chthonic ode

Light-language held in stone like insects in amber
Now released in flamboyant flashes and flashbacks

A ritual of percussion; the world’s oldest instrument
A choreography of vibration: etched onto air…

Perma-frost to Perma-joy

– Tansy Davies

🎻 Discover more about composer Tansy Davies – https://tansydavies.com/
🎻 Discover more about soloist Konstantyn Napolov:

Home


🎻 Discover more about Orkest de Ereprijs:
https://www.ereprijs.nl/nl/
🎶 Learn about the piece: Stone Codes by Tansy Davies
https://www.dutchgoldencollection.nl/nl/volledige-lijst-van-werken/tansy-davies—stone-codes
📖 Purchase the score: https://www.fabermusic.com/music/5a2fda4b-e657-467a-bbcb-632f79eba20b

Interview with the composer Martin Fondse on his percussion concerto – Kitchen Stories.

Large ensemble and soloist – commissioned by DGCF and Orkest de Ereprijs – https://youtu.be/GCs7QjnUKg8

Version for Duo Percussion & Piano written for Konstantyn Napolov & Ralph van Raat – Kitchen Stories IV – https://youtu.be/AyVuMCCOwCM Kitchen Stories V – https://youtu.be/84zeltm2qDE

“For Kitchen Stories, I was inspired by this connection between music and food culture. You will be taken to nearly all the continents of the world (Europe, Asia, North and South Americas, Africa, and Antarctica). A special place has been dedicated to Ukraine and the newly discovered continent of Zeelandia. Regional dishes are featured, such as Hoosh (Antarctica), Borscht (Ukraine) and Fast Food Fantasy (North America), alongside melodically conceived presentations by TV and online chef stars (including Zanele van Zyl from South Africa), Saito – the Sushi God of Tokyo, and Ievgen Klopotenko from Ukraine.” – Martin Fondse

🎻 Discover more about composer Martin Fondse – https://martinfondse.com/

🎻 Discover more about soloist Konstantyn Napolov: https://k-napolov.com/

🎻 Discover more about Orkest de Ereprijs: https://www.ereprijs.nl/nl/

🎶 Learn about the piece: Kitchen Stories by Martin Fondse https://www.dutchgoldencollection.nl/nl/volledige-lijst-van-werken/martin-fondse—kitchen-stories-1

📖 Purchase the score: https://martinfondse.com/

Interview with the composer Martín Francisco Mayo on hie percussion concerto for large ensemble and soloist – Boca Arriba Boca Arriba was inspired by Julio Cortazar’s short story “La noche boca arriba,” in which a motorist who gets into an accident begins dreaming that he’s an Aztec prisoner of war as he spends the night in an ER, only to eventually realize, as he’s about to be sacrificed, that his life as a motorist was the real dream.

🎻 Discover more about soloist Konstantyn Napolov: https://k-napolov.com/

🎻 Discover more about Orkest de Ereprijs: https://www.ereprijs.nl/nl/

🎶 Learn about the piece: Boca Arriba by Martín Francisco Mayo https://www.dutchgoldencollection.nl/nl/volledige-lijst-van-werken/martin-francisco-mayo

📖 Purchase the score: Donemus Publishing https://donemus.nl/

 

Theater Magdeburg

Fotograaf – Sascha Kummer

 

 

Konzerthaus Berlin

Photographer – Josina Herrmann, Anna Rozhdestvenska

 

Baba Yaga is een krachtige en opwindende single, geïnspireerd door het duistere en mysterieuze Slavische volksverhaal over de legendarische heks Baba Yaga. Dit unieke arrangement voor slagwerk en piano van Marijn van Prooijen en Konstantyn Napolov herinterpreteert het 150 jaar oude meesterwerk van Modest Moessorgski en transformeert het tot een eigentijdse, filmische klankwereld.

Gedreven door een hypnotiserende groove, gespeeld op rototoms, tamboerijnen en bongo’s, met dramatische uitbarstingen van energie door de splashbekkens, ontstaat een spannend muzikaal gesprek met de expressieve pianomelodieën. Virtuoze passages tussen marimba en piano brengen een intense energie en een onstuitbare muzikale vaart, terwijl de hele muzikale reis voortdurend wordt onderbroken door de mysterieuze en filmische verschijning van Baba Yaga zelf — die opduikt in diepe, langzame en spookachtige marimbalijnen, waardoor een betoverend contrast ontstaat.

Baba Yaga combineert ritmische kracht, virtuositeit en theatrale vertelkunst en verandert een legendarisch figuur uit de folklore in een levendige hedendaagse muzikale ervaring waarin oude mythologie en moderne klankwereld samenkomen.

Brushstrokes is een indrukwekkend werk van de Nederlandse componist Jasper de Bock, opgenomen op het aankomende album van Konstantyn Napolov en Ralph van Raat. Het stuk is geïnspireerd door de schilderijen van Hendrik Willem Mesdag en zijn iconische Panorama Mesdag en heeft bovendien een bijzondere persoonlijke connectie: de betovergrootvader van Jasper de Bock, Théophile de Bock, was een van de kunstenaars die samen met Mesdag meewerkte aan de totstandkoming van het Panorama.

Met zijn sterke visuele karakter ontvouwt Brushstrokes zich als een perfecte filmscène in muzikale vorm, waarin klank, beeld, beweging en verhaal samenkomen. Het werk vervaagt de grenzen tussen muziek, beeldende kunst en gesproken woord en maakt van de slagwerker zowel een musicus als een performer. Tijdens het stuk schrijft de slagwerker met een dikke marker op grote kartonnen panelen en gebruikt hij technieken uit de gesproken woordkunst, waardoor een expressieve dialoog ontstaat tussen geluid, tekst, gebaar en beweging.

Samen met de piano wordt Brushstrokes een levend artistiek canvas waarin iedere muzikale beweging een penseelstreek wordt. Het werk nodigt de luisteraar uit in een unieke multidimensionale ervaring waarin hedendaagse muziek verbonden wordt met de tijdloze wereld van de beeldende kunst.

Baba Yaga is a powerful and electrifying single inspired by the dark and mysterious Slavic folktale of the legendary witch Baba Yaga. This unique arrangement for percussion and piano by Marijn van Prooijen and Konstantyn Napolov reimagines Modest Mussorgsky’s 150-year-old masterpiece, transforming it into a contemporary cinematic sound world.

Driven by a hypnotic groove performed on rototoms, tambourines, and bongos, with dramatic bursts of energy from the splash cymbals, the piece creates a thrilling dialogue with the expressive piano melodies. Virtuosic passages between marimba and piano bring intense energy and unstoppable momentum, while the entire musical journey is constantly interrupted by the eerie and cinematic presence of Baba Yaga herself — emerging through deep, slow, and haunting marimba lines that create a mysterious and spellbinding contrast.

Baba Yaga combines rhythmic power, virtuosity, and theatrical storytelling, transforming a legendary figure from folklore into a vivid contemporary musical experience where ancient mythology meets modern sound.

Brushstrokes is a striking work by Dutch composer Jasper de Bock, featured on the upcoming album by Konstantyn Napolov and Ralph van Raat. Inspired by the paintings of Hendrik Willem Mesdag and his iconic Panorama Mesdag, the piece carries a unique personal connection: Jasper de Bock’s great-great-grandfather, Théophile de Bock, was one of the artists who collaborated with Mesdag on the creation of the Panorama.

With its strong visual character, Brushstrokes unfolds as a perfect film music sequence, where sound, image, movement, and narrative come together. Blurring the boundaries between music, visual art, and spoken word, the work transforms the percussionist into both musician and performer. Throughout the piece, the percussionist writes with a thick marker on large cardboard panels while using spoken-word techniques, creating an expressive dialogue between sound, text, gesture, and movement.

Together with the piano, Brushstrokes becomes a vivid artistic canvas where every musical gesture acts as a brushstroke, inviting the listener into a unique multisensory experience that connects contemporary music with the timeless world of visual art.