Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra at your living room!

The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, together with the informal care organisation Senior Service, took the initiative to record an online performance to further promote the solidarity between all Dutch people during this time. The video features 17 musicians from the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra who each play their part of the Beethoven 9 symphony from their living room. The piece calls for togetherness and connectedness. The video has been viewed more than 1 million times on YouTube and has been broadcast by various international channels, including BBC World News. Alle Menschen werden Brüder The piece of music that is played in the video is Beethoven 9 ‘Alle Menschen werden Brüder’. The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra was set to tour the United States and perform in various cities, but the coronavirus put an end to that. The tour was cancelled just before departure and after President Donald Trump's announcement that Europeans would be banned from entering the US. Now the orchestra and fellow Rotterdammer and director of Senior Service Floris Vervat have decided to make a virtue of necessity. The musicians individually recorded their pieces of music. All these individual recordings were then combined into one online performance. Arjen Leendertz, double bassist, can also be heard in the performance. He says: ‘“Alle Menschen werden Brüder” is a piece that stands for connection, fraternisation and solidarity. It was even once used as a basis for a European national anthem. For me, this is really what we need to focus on together now.’ #ROTTERDAMZETDOOR Curious about the video and the idea behind it? Check out the platform #ROTTERDAMZETDOOR.  #ROTTERDAMZETDOOR showcases the resilience and entrepreneurial spirit of Rotterdammers during the COVID-19 crisis. Text by: Mahesvari Autar Photo credits: RPhO