Composition teacher Robin de Raaff experienced two career highlights this summer: the world premiere of his latest work L’Azur on 27 August at the Lucerne Festival, followed just four days later by the German premiere at the Philharmonie in Berlin during Musikfest Berlin. The cantata for mixed choir and orchestra is a tribute to Pierre Boulez, who would have turned 100 this year, and is based on the poem of the same name by Stéphane Mallarmé.

Commissioned by the Lucerne Festival in collaboration with the Pierre Boulez foundation and the NTR Zaterdag Matinee, L’Azur once again brought De Raaff international recognition. The work was performed by the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest and the Groot Omroepkoor under the direction of Karina Canellakis.

With his extensive oeuvre of symphonies, concertos, and operas, De Raaff is regarded as one of the most prolific Dutch composers of his generation. His international experiences at festivals such as Lucerne and Berlin flow directly into his teaching at Codarts, where he inspires students with his artistic insights and hands-on experience on the world’s leading stages.

Robin de Raaff is a composition teacher at Codarts and an internationally recognized composer whose works are performed worldwide by leading orchestras and ensembles. More information about Robin de Raaff and his work can be found at www.robinderaaff.com.