Four Royal Netherlands Navy ships in Øresund

Four Royal Netherlands Navy ships were yesterday going southwards in the Sound:

Tripartite Class minehunter HNMS Urk (M861)

Torpedo training ship HNMS Mercuur (A900)

Holland Class Offshore Patrol Vessel HNMS Friesland (P842)

Hydrographical survey ship HNMS Luymes (A803)

 

Three Dutch Navy Offshore Patrol Vessels and a frigate in Øresund

This autumn there has been quite a lot of naval traffic in Øresund. Only a couple of days ago three German Navy speed boats and their tender were going northwards in the Sound. This morning three new Royal Netherlands Navy Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) and a frigate were heading in the opposite direction.

Somewhere close to Kullen the three Holland Class OPVs - HNMLS Holland, HNMLS Groningen
 and HNMLS Zeeland - and the frigate Van Speijk were still close to each other.

 

 

Minutes later the Van Speijk turned around and remained in the background
for a while.

 

Holland, commissioned in July 2012, was the first to enter the Sound.



Holland was followed by the newest ship in the class, the brand new HNMLS Groningen (P843).



Zeeland (P841) was commissioned as late as August this year.

The 122.3 m x 14.4 m Karel Doorman Class frigate Van Speijk (F802), commissioned in 1995,
 followed the OPVs about 20 minutes later.

The 108.43 m x 16 m Holland Class Offshore Patrol Vessels are built and designed by the Damen Schelde Naval shipyard. They are able to monitor up an area up to 140 nautical miles using Thales Integrated Sensor and Communications Systems radars, a mine detection sonar and an infra-red warming system. The sensor systems are housed in the integrated mast, also provided by Thales.

PS
I added this picture of the Van Speijk and a boat carrying Danish sport fishers:

The Royal Netherlands Navy's new offshore patrol vessel Friesland in Øresund

The Royal Netherlands Navy's brand new offshore patrol vessel HNLMS Friesland (P842), which this afternoon was going southwards in the Sound, is a very nice looking ship. Friesland is one of four Holland Class offshore patrol vessels in the Dutch navy. The 108.4 x 16 m ship's

complement is 50.



HNLMS Friesland and a Danish fishing boat close to Helsingør. 

Friesland, with hotel Marienlyst in the background (on the right).

The Royal Netherlands Navy´s training ship Van Kinsbergen in Øresund

The Royal Netherlands Navy´s training ship Van Kinsbergen  (A902) entered Øresund early this morning on its way to Copenhagen. The 41.5 m x 9.2 m ship was built by the Damen Shipyards in 1999. The complement: 5 plus 3 instructors and 16 students.

The visit of 16 Dutch journalists to Finland in 1925

In the 1920s Finland, which had gained its independence in 1917, wanted to become more known in Europe. That is why 16 Dutch journalists, "representing the most important newspapers", were invited to spend two weeks in the country, visiting both industry and areas of natural beauty. The Dutch journalists were photographed immediately after their arrival at the Southern Harbour in Helsinki:

The 16 Dutch journalists together with their hosts at the Southern Harbour in
Helsinki in 1925.

Two unforgettable Janine Jansen "family" concerts in Sweden

Janine Jansen, Daniel Blendulf and the "Barrere" Stradivarius after the baroque recital on Monday evening.

Family members playing and singing together has for centuries been one of the most enjoyable ways of making music. Sometimes, a wider audience is given a chance to share the joy on such occasions.

That happened last weekend, when the the amazing Dutch violin virtuoso Janine Jansen performed in two concerts at the Kullabygden Music Festival in Scania together with her Swedish husband, conductor Daniel Blendulf and her father, the renowned organist/harpsichordist Jan Jansen. 

In the first of the concerts, on Saturday evening, Jansen played the Tchaikovsky violin concerto, with Maestro Blendulf conducting the excellent Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra in the beautiful setting of the Krapperup castle. I have heard several top violinists perform the concerto, but nobody has done it with such expressiveness and delicacy as Jansen. No wonder, she got a standing ovation. 

Father and daugher Jansen at the Brunnby church baroque recital.

The second concert, on Monday evening, was an intimate recital of baroque music, in which Janine Jansen played together with her father Jan. The beautiful small church of Brunnby was an ideal setting for the concert, which included works by Heinrich Biber, Jacques Duphly and Johann Sebastian Bach. 

Organist/harpsichordist Jan Jansen after the concert.

The father/daughter duo created an unforgettable evening of heavenly music. Janine Jansen's interpretation of the famous Chaconne from Bach's Partita No.2 in D minor for solo violin was a revelation. Hopefully there will be more Jansen/Blendulf "family concerts" in the future!

PS (July 11)
I added a close up picture of Janine Jansen and Daniel Blendulf and images of the concert venues:

The Brunnby church.

The building at the Krapperup castle which has been converted to a concert hall.

A wonderful 125th Anniversary Concert from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam

The 125 year old Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Early this morning I had my first cup of coffee in the best possible company; I watched the broadcast of the Concertgebouw 125th Anniversary Concert on the French-German ARTE television channel. The concert was a pure delight for both the ears and the eyes. The Concertgebouw is of probably one of the five or six best and most beautiful concert halls in the world, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is without doubt a world class orchestra.

In this festive concert the Concertgebouw was led by its former chief conductor Bernard Haitink,who created an evening of musical magic. The way the orchestra played Beethoven's Pastoral symphony was out of this world. I do not think that I have heard a better version of this delightful work.

The symphony was followed by a selection of songs from Mahler's wonderful cycle Des Knaben Wunderhorn, with the velvet voiced Dutch mezzo soprano Christianne Stotijn as soloist. 

Below is a small selection of photographs from the memorable concert, which hopefully will be available on blu ray soon:

The Concertgebouw is famous for its excellent accoustics. 

Bernard Haitink, with some big names in the background.

The Concertgebouw Orchestra flutists and oboists were outstanding in the  Pastoral  Symphony.

The Concertgebouw audience was captivated by the playing.

Haitink in full control of the orchestra.

Haitink and Stotijn in Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn.

The wonderful Dutch mezzo soprano Christianne Stotijn at the Concertgebouw.

Bernard Haitink, Honorary Conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.