Belgian Music Week

Our capital city is a hub. A sanctuary. A temporary or permanent home base for countless people, each with their own story. For Klarafestival, it serves as fertile ground in which to anchor each year, and from which the most exquisite projects bloom. As part of Belgian Music Week, we shine a spotlight on these Brussels – and by extension Belgian – productions.

Small country, grand orchestras

This year too, prominent Belgian orchestras deliver musical moments that both move and connect. The Brussels Philharmonic presents the premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s brand-new cello concerto, specially composed for festival artist Abel Selaocoe. The Belgian National Orchestra also immerses itself in contemporary orchestral music with the post-minimalist works of composers including Max Richter, Henryk Górecki and Caroline Shaw. They also accompany the premiere of Luc Brewaeys’ Symphony No. 8, whose unfinished finale was completed by Annelies Van Parys. 

Once again, the musicians of the Youth Orchestra Flanders take their first steps in the orchestral world, and share the stage with none other than the American violinist Joshua Brown. Finally, composer and saxophonist Robin Verheyen performs the brand-new Il Quaderno di Nerina alongside B’Rock Orchestra. In his composition, the tonal colours of historical instruments blend with those of the saxophone and mezzo-soprano Cristina Zavalloni.

a unique voice

What is the sound of contemporary Belgium? The festival articulates it through Belgian musicians, each of whom possess a distinct musical language. The icon of neoclassical piano music, Wouter Dewit, presents his album Hold, where he works with strings and electronica for the first time. Kris Defoort and Stéphane Ginsburgh offer even more piano sounds during a heartfelt tribute to the Belgian composer Philippe Boesmans.

Festival artist Abel Selaocoe also joins forces with Belgian musicians, including Fabian Fiorini. Together with soprano Héloïse Werner and percussionist Bernhard Schimpelsberger, they create a new and playful world. Harpist Margaret Hermant concludes with the avant-première of her solo album Freedom.

echoes of the past

In Songs with Roots, three singers and two instrumentalists from Radio Lomax dive into Alan Lomax’ vibrant collection of songs from across the globe, augmented by songs they encountered in Brussels. BL!NDMAN [hybrid] and ZWERM are equally aware that the past can serve as a wellspring of inspiration. In My Heart Cannot Die, they offer a contemporary response to the romantic myth surrounding Carlo Gesualdo.

Moreover, artworks can also encapsulate memories. Accordionist Suzan Peeters, guitarist Vitja Pauwels and percussionist Simon Leleux transmute their favourite masterpiece into a distinctive soundtrack. Finally, Alexey Botvinov, Guy Danel, and Sarah Bayens present the Belgian premiere of Moments of Memory (V), with echoes of the storyteller Scheherazade reverberating through it.