Anne & Zef

opera for sopr, bar, fl, cl, bs, hn, perc, vi1, vi2, vla, vc, cb with soundeffects on tape or acoustically

Libretto

Commission

Premiere

Director

Conductor

Cast

Ad de Bont

Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest

April 7th, 2015

Corina van Eijk / Opera Spanga

David Niemann

Lilian Farahani, Benjamin de Wilde, members of the NedPho

Zef, a fifteen year-old boy from Albania, was killed due to blood revenge dictated by the Kanun. In the afterlife he meets Anne Frank and they find out they have a lot more in common than their violent deaths. Their curiosity about each others lives and deaths triggers them to tell their stories. Which seems soothing - and draws them close.

Performed in several countries and ditto languages worldwide, this is one of Krüs' 

most popular works.

Piratenkoningin (Pirate Queen)

opera for 7 soloists, childrens choir, fl, cl, bs, hn, perc, vi1, vi2, vla, vc, cb, kb with samples

Libretto

Commission

Premiere

Director

Conductor

Cast

Xandra Knebel and Daniël van Klaveren

Nederlandse Reisopera, Theater Sonnevanck, Dawn Collective

October 5th, 2024

Daniël van Klaveren

Anu Tallin / Kent Moussault

am. others  Francis van Broekhuizen, Lilian Farahani, Aylin Sezer

A pirate fairy tale about friendship and family. About courage and cooperation. About bunnies and shining pearls. About love and trust. And especially about Girl Power! 

Tour through the Netherlands in October - November 2024

De Nachtegaal en de Keizer

(The Nightingale and the Emperor)

for singer/actress, bassoon, viola, piano

Libretto

Commission

Premiere

Director

Cast

Carel Alphenaar, based on the fairy tale by H.C. Andersen

Stichting Appeltaart Concerten

September 28th, 2020

Nynke van den Bergh

Karin Strobos, Margreet Bongers, Michiel Holtrop, Ernst Munneke

A family opera for everybody of 6 years and older. 

Very suitable for performances at schools.

The Tsar, his wife, her lover and his head

opera for 6 singers SSATBB, cl, hn, pi, string quartet

Libretto

Commission

Premiere

Director

Conductor

Cast

Sjoerd Kuiper

Peter de Grote Festival Groningen

August 2nd, 2013

Jos Groenier

Monique Krüs

a.o. Arash Roozbehi, Esther Kuiper, Carolina Luppers and the members of the Peter The Great Ensemble

A chamber opera about Tsar Peter the Great of Russia, who looks back upon his life. His memories of days gone by bring him happiness and grieve, pride and shame. But how will the people of Russia remember this illustrious Emperor? 

Apenootje (Erdnüsschen) / (Monkey Business) 

for singer/actress, cl, trp, hp, perc, vi, vc

Libretto

Commission

Premiere

Director

Cast

Thijs Maas and Roxanne Hellevoort

Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest

Febuary 16th, 2016

Bart Oomen

Christine de Boer, members of the Rotterdams 

Philharmonisch Orkest

Interactive musical theatre / opera for kids 6-8 about a ZOO in distress, all kinds of monkey business - and how the animals save the day!

Corto Maltese: the Ballad of the Salty Sea

opera for soloists, mixed choir SATB, fl, cl, bs, hn, perc, vi1, vi2, vla, vc, cb

Libretto

Commission

Premiere

Director

Conductor

Cast

Corina van Eijk, based on the original text by Hugo Pratt

Valletta, Cultural Capital of Europe 2018

September 20th, 2018

Corina van Eijk

Monique Krüs

Singers and Choir of Teatro Manoel, Corto Ensemble

Opera based on the graphic novel Corto Maltese: una Ballata del Mare Salato by Hugo Pratt

Soeraki, heldin van de zee

(Soeraki, heroine of the sea)

for 1 singer/actress, cl, bs, trb, hp, vi, vc and perc

Libretto

Commission

Premiere

Director

Conductor

Cast

Sjoerd Kuiper

The Gergiev Festival Rotterdam

September 18th, 2011

Marc Krone

Wim Steinmann

Eva Crutzen, members of the Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest

An interactive opera for kids from 6 to 8, about a ten-year old girl - who is actually a mermaid… She lives in a tropical paradise where everything is beautiful, but boring at the same time. The only excitement is due to Bob, a merboy who hardly notices her. So: time for some action!

Eine Odyssee (An Odyssey)

for mixed choir, soloists, cl, bs, hn, trp, perc, vi1, vc, SFX

Libretto

Commission

Premiere

Director

Conductor

Cast

Ad de Bont 

Impuls Festival für neue Musik in Sachsen-Anhalt

November 10th, 2009

Almut Fischer

Phillip Barczewski

Soloists, choir and musicians of the Impuls Festival

The great epic poem by Homer as a youth opera for 15+ in a new version by the popular and much performed Dutch playwright Ad de Bont.

Gods Videotheque

tragicomedy for 4 singers SATB, fl, cl, bs, hn, trp, perc, vi1, vi2, vla, cb and soundeffects

Libretto

Commission

Premiere

Director

Conductor

Cast

Irma Achten

Opera Spanga

July 25th, 2007

Corina van Eijk

Arjan Tien

Wil van der Meer, Klara Uleman, Martijn Sanders, Monique Krüs and the Magogo Chamber Orchestra

A tragicomic opera about the relationship between god, man and animals. Does man enjoy his position as center of the universe? And is it justified?

A philosophical opera, but with a lot of humor.

Die Rote Kaiserin

(The Red Empress)

monodrama for soprano, tape and percussion

Libretto

Commission

Premiere

Performed by

Gerard Harleman

Palmhaus Festival Dresden

Augustus 27th, 2004 - concert performance

Monique Krüs (soprano) and Willy Wagner (percussion)

Monodrama about the life of Jian Qing, the wife of Mao Zedong. 

This first (short) opera of Krüs was written at the request of Hans Rotman, director of The Palmhaus Festival in Dresden. He invited Krüs - who is also a soprano - to sing the lead in his Red Empress and invited her to write a small monodrama on the same subject.

Lippijn, een sotternie (Lippijn, a comedy)

SATB and piano (in prep with small wind ensemble)

Libretto

Commission

Premiere

Conductor

Performed by

Monique Krüs based on an unknown, medieval Dutch

Nederlands Concertkoor

January 27th, 2017 

Maria van Nieukerken

Toonkunst Rotterdam 

Lippijn, een sotternie is a short opera buffa for mixed choir based on a Dutch, medieval play. This was performed in between the serious and much longer so called 'abele spelen' ('noble' plays) to divert the audience. In the opera the choir sings all four roles themselves. Krüs used the different voice types for the different roles, but not in a very strict way.

Story 

WIFE is longing for her LOVER and sends HUSBAND Lippijn [say: lip-'peen] out to get water and fire - while she goes out to get some food… On his way home Lippijn sees WIFE with LOVER rolling in the grass. Devastated he runs into NEIGHBOUR Trise, who tells him about the spell of the elves, which makes you see things that are not real. They go home together where WIFE got back just in time to open the door. She explodes when Lippijn tells her about what he saw. How could he accuse her of cheating on him!

LUN 3006

Steen van Licht  / Piedra de Luz

for voice and piano

Language

Text

Duration

Commission

Premiere

Performed by

Dutch/Spanish

Michael Wilmering

5'05

IVC/Grachtenfestival 2017

August 6, 2017

Michael Wilmering, baritone and Kanako Inoue, piano

Lied commissioned by the International Vocal Competition Den Bosch (NL) as final song of the scenic liedrecital Grenze(n)loos.

With Michael Wilmering baritone, Ahmad Joudeh dancer and Kanako Inoue piano. Staging by Monique Wagemakers.

Michael Wilmering and Syrian dancer Ahmad Joudeh

LUN 3007

No one is an island

middle voice and tape or piano

Language

Text

Duration

Commission

Premiere

Performed by

English

Xandra Knebel, based on John Donne

4'00

Music for Empty Spaces - Muziekgebouw aan het IJ

May 28th, 2020

Frederic Bergman

Early in the first COVID-19 lockdown in Holland, composer/pianist and producer Heather Pinkham paired twelve composers with twelve musicians. With the idea to create Music for Empty Spaces: pieces that revealed something about the composer's experience in home isolation. Krüs was paired with baritone Frederic Bergman.  

Xandra Knebel wrote the text of No One is an Island based on the well-known poem from 1624 by John Donne and phrases of Coleridge. Krüs composed a soundtrack which, combined with Bergman's voice, sounds like a mini opera. Ending in the hopeful assumption we will finds new ways to reach each other.

LUN 3005

Denkend aan Holland

high/middle voice and piano

Language

Text

Duration

Commission

Premiere

Performed by

Dutch

Hendrik Marsman

4'30

The Gents

September 15th, 2019

The Gents male choir

One of the most famous Dutch poems, written in 1936.

Originally written for The Gents, now arranged for solo voice and piano.

Performed a.o. by Michael Wilmering 

Lunam, ne quidem Lunam  (A nebulous Moon)

for high/middle/low voice and piano

version with orchestra available 

Language

Text

Duration

Commission

Premiere

Performed by

Latin / English in prep

P.J. Hawinkels

5'00

IVC Den Bosch

September 16th, 2016

Adele Charvet, mezzosoprano and Florian Caroubi, piano

For the International Vocal Competition 2016 (focus on lied-duo) Monique Krüs was asked to write the compulsory work that all participants have to prepare. The text (translated into Latin) was taken from the poem Bosch en Bruegel by Dutch poet Pé Hawinkels who found his inspiration in the Jheronimus Bosch painting Garden of Earthly Delights. 

1st prize winners of the IVC Edition 2016, mezzosoprano Adèle Charvet 

and Florian Caroubi performing Lunam at the finals in Den Bosch

LUN 3002

2 Songs

voice and piano

Language

Text

Duration

Commission

Dutch

Theo Mestrum

4'10

Private

Two songs on poems by Theo Mestrum, for medium voice and piano

1. Moed

2. Een fee van weinig woorden

Preview

LUN 3009

Je vis, je meurs

song cycle for soprano and ensemble

Language

Text

Duration

Commission

Premiere

Performed by

French

Louise Labé

14'30

Stichting Muze / Bauwien van der Meer

April 30, 2022

Bauwien van der Meer and friends at TivoliVredenburg

Song cycle on 3 passionate sonnets by the French 16th century poet.

Written for soprano, string quartet, harp and optional organ. 

Vocal score avaliable.

"Van der Meer can make full use of her broad expressiveness 

in Je vis, je meurs, three intense songs by Monique Krüs."

Volkskrant

1. Tant que mes yeux

2. Baise m'encore

3. Je vis, je meurs

CD/SPOTIFY: La Lumiere

Je vis, je meurs, last song

Language

Text

Duration

Commission

Premiere

Performed by

Dutch

Hans Lodeizen

4'10

Private

3 Januari 2016

Monique Krüs - soprano and Douw Fonda - violoncello

Monique Krüs, sopraan and Douw Fonda, cellist

Opgenomen in de lente van 2016 in het Sarphati Huis te Amsterdam

LUN 3001

Awakening

voice and violoncello

Language

Text

Duration

Commission

Premiere

Performed by

English

Monique Krüs

2’30

Private

2017

Martijn Sanders

Preview

2 songs on poems by German poet Doris Runge

es ist spät        3'00

sommer            5'00