Ed Spanjaard
Despite his relatively late debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Ed Spanjaard is one of the leading Dutch conductors. His repertoire covers three centuries, but he is specialised in French music of around 1900 and contemporary works. He is increasingly gravitating toward opera.
Full biography
Instruments
dirigent, piano
Biography Ed Spanjaard
Despite his relatively late debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Ed Spanjaard is one of the leading Dutch conductors. His repertoire covers three centuries, but he is specialised in French music of around 1900 and contemporary works. He is increasingly gravitating toward opera.
1948 - 1970
Ed Spanjaard is born on April 12 in Haarlem. He studies the piano and orchestral conducting in Amsterdam and London.
1973
Spanjaard is a répétiteur and assistant conductor at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (under Colin Davis and others), Glyndebourne Festival, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (under Bernard Haitink). He is also the assistant of Leonard Bernstein and of Herbert von Karajan.
1976
Spanjaard conducts Richard Strauss' 'Ariadne auf Naxos' (1912) at Covent Garden.
1980
He conducts the Holland Festival premiere of Peter Schat's 'Aap verslaat de Knekelgeest' [Monkey Subdues the White Bone Demon, 1978], a production with soloists, mimes, acrobats and the Netherlands Wind Ensemble.
1982 - 1989
Spanjaard is the regular guest conductor of the Limburg Symphony Orchestra.
1982
He becomes the conductor of the Nieuw Ensemble.
1983
Spanjaard is involved in the preparations for the production in Bayreuth of Wagner's 'Der Ring des Nibelungen' conducted by Sir Georg Solti.
1991
“Out of pure interest”, Spanjaard begins studying Flamenco dancing and says that he has become “more supple conducting and less hindered by all of the eyes on his back” (in an interview with Paul Janssen in 'Mens en Melodie', May 1995, p. 279).
1993
Spanjaard conducts the Nieuw Ensemble in the premiere of Ton de Leeuw's 'Fauxbordon' at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw during the Holland Festival.
1994
He conducts Giacomo Puccini's 'La Bohème' with Opera Zuid.
1995
He leads the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Gustav Mahler's 'First Symphony' during the state visit of Queen Beatrix to Israel.
1996
He makes his debut with De Nederlandse Opera with Giuseppe Verdi's 'Rigoletto'.
1998
He conducts the premiere of Robert Heppener's opera 'Een ziel van hout' [A Wooden Soul] at the Holland Festival.
1999
A CD of choral music by Rudolf Escher with Spanjaard conducting the Netherlands Chamber Choir receives an Edison Award.
2000
In Rotterdam's Ahoy hall, he conducts Verdi's 'La Traviata'. He makes his Frankfurter Oper debut in June with the Ensemble Modern.
2001
Spanjaard makes his official debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra – after he is regularly invited to guest conduct. He is appointed chief conductor of the Limburg Symphony Orchestra.
2002
Spanjaard conducts the music at the church wedding services of Prince Willem Alexander and Maxima. In Berlin, he conducts the Nieuw Ensemble in the premiere of Theo Loevendie's 'Seyir' (2002).
2007
In short succession, he conducts two premieres of music by Marijn Simons: the 'Second Symphony' and the 'Concerto for an Odd Couple'.
2008
Spanjaard is the piano soloist in a performance with the Limburg Symphony Orchestra of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 'Piano Concerto' in A major, K 488. The conductor is Jaap van Zweden. At the inauguration of the new music theatre in Enschede, Spanjaard conducts the world premiere of Willem Jeth's opera 'Hôtel de Pekin'.
2009
He conducts the premiere of Michel van der Aa's 'Spaces of Blank', with the mezzo-soprano Christianne Stotijn and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. In September, he conducts the Nationale Reisopera's production of Richard Wagner's 'Das Rheingold'.
Discography Ed Spanjaard
Limburgs Symphonie Orkest 1883-1983
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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LP, 1984
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Label
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LSO, 6818158
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Franco Donatoni
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 1988
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Label
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Etcetera, KTC 1053
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Brian Ferneyhough
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 1989
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Label
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Etcetera, KTC 1070
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Villa Medicis '88
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 1989
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Label
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Salabert Trajectoires, SCD 8804
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Theo Loevendie
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 1991
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Label
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Etcetera, KTC 1097
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400 Years of Dutch music Vol.8
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 1993
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Label
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Olympia, OCD 507
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Cello concertos
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 1994
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Label
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NM, 92040
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Homages and dedications
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 1994
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Label
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Naive, MO 782089
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New music from China
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 1994
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Label
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Zebra, 001
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Piano concertos in the Netherlands
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 1994
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Label
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NM Classics, 92044
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Debussy
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 1995
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Label
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Globe, GLO 5144
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Nieuw Ensemble plays music from Theresienstadt
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 1996
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Label
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RN Classics, 93007
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Portraits and horoscopes
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 1996
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Label
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Largo, 5134
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Ketting
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 1997
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Label
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Donemus, CV 55
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componist
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Otto Ketting
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Ed Spanjaard conducts Robert Heppener
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 1998
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Label
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Composers' Voice Highlights, CV 62
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componist
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Robert Heppener
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Smit
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 1998
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Label
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NM Special, 92098
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componist
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Leo Smit
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The choral works of Rudolf Escher
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 1998
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Label
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NM Classics, 92057
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componist
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Rudolf Escher
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Choral works
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2000
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Label
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NM Classics, 92102
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componist
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Ton de Leeuw
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Wolf Cub Village
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2001
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Label
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Zebra, 002
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Alphons Diepenbrock and the Golden Age
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2002
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Label
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Composers' Voice Classics, CV 121
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componist
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Alphons Diepenbrock
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French choral music
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2002
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Label
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Globe, GLO 5215
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Rudolf Escher 1912-1980
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2002
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Label
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Composers' Voice Classics, CV 104
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Tango royal
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2002
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Label
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PentaTone Classics, 4723182
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gastmuzikant
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Carel Kraayenhof
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Les mamelles de Tiresias
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2003
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Label
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Brilliant Classics, 92056
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Street tango
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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2CD, 2003
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Label
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Decca, 0383672
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gastmuzikant
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Carel Kraayenhof
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Gabriel Fauré
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2005
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Label
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PentaTone Classics, PTC 5186020
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Kantrimiusik
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2009
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Label
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Music Edition Winter & Winter, 9101502
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Plateaux pour piano et orchestre
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2009
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Label
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Dacapo, 6220533
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Arias - Exsultate jubilate
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2010
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Label
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PentaTone Classics, PTC 5186376
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gastmuzikant
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Lenneke Ruiten
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Les aventures du Roi Pausole
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2010
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Label
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Brilliant Classics, 9152
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St. Luke's passion
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2010
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Label
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Etcetera, KTC 1402
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componist
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Calliope Tsoupaki
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Tango royal
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2012
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Label
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PentaTone Classics, PTC 5186008
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gastmuzikant
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Carel Kraayenhof
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Bosch Requiem 2012
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2013
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Label
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Etcetera, KTC 1462
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La traviata
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2013
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Label
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United Classics, 8713545220612
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Adios nonino
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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Single, 2002
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Label
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PentaTone, 4722202
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gastmuzikant
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Carel Kraayenhof
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Pierre Boulez - Eclat
Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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DVD, 2006
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Label
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Ideale Audience, DVD 9 DS 15
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Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2002
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Label
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Globe Records, GLO 5215
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dirigent
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Ed Spanjaard
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Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2009
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Label
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Habeo, HABEO 99/04
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dirigent
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Ed Spanjaard
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Act
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Ed Spanjaard
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Type and year
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CD, 2011
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Label
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Brilliant Classics, 94051/120
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dirigent
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Ed Spanjaard
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In the discography you will find all recordings that have been released listed chronologically. We restrict ourselves to the title, the type of audio, year of publication or recording, label, list of guest musicians, plus any comments on the issue.