Laureates of the Queen Elisabeth Competition

Queen’s Delight: a musical promenade in homage to Queen Elisabeth

One hundred and fifty years ago, Queen Elisabeth was born. A passionate violinist and patron of the arts, she played a major role in Belgian and international musical life. Her name remains inextricably linked to the Queen Elisabeth Competition, which for decades has launched young artists onto the international stage. Wishing to honour the memory of the Queen in a manner worthy of her legacy, Flagey has devised a day of concerts. Entitled Queen’s Delight, the project transcends the framework of the Competition itself. Ten iconic laureates will gather to share with the audience an intense day devoted to music, encounters and exchanges.

How did this project come into being? Why did we choose such a wide range of musicians? From the outset, we placed a particular emphasis repertoire, collaboration and the audience’s experience.

A personal devotion to music

The idea emerged more than two years ago, as we were reflecting on the 150th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elisabeth. She was not only our sovereign but also a passionate musician: a violinist, deeply devoted to the arts and closely associated with Eugène Ysaÿe, alongside whom she founded the Competition that bears her name. We sought to place this personal relationship to music and musicians at the very heart of Queen’s Delight, conceived as a musical journey, a kind of promenade encompassing around ten concerts.

Diversity of talent and unprecedented formats

From this starting point, we asked ourselves how this tribute could be anchored in the present day and illuminate the full scope of the Queen’s exceptional commitment to music. Inviting a single artist did not seem sufficient. The richness of her legacy calls for multiple voices. We therefore set out to bring together several generations of laureates - pianists, string players and singers - among them Alexander Melnikov, Timothy Chooi and Eva Zaïcik.

But how could the most suitable selection be made? Our approach was at once pragmatic and deeply personal. Surveying the list of laureates of the Competition from the 1970s to the present, we asked ourselves one single question: with whom would we be happy to work today, regardless of ranking or prize obtained?

We undertook this reflection together with both the Competition and the Klarafestival. We aimed for First Prize winners to share the stage with other laureates in a natural way during the concerts. This approach embodies the philosophy of Flagey: we seek to accompany exceptional talents over the long term, to support them, to welcome them back and to foster the full potential of their musical personalities.

Moreover, we encouraged all the musicians not to confine themselves to solo performances, but also to take part in chamber music projects within newly formed ensembles. The emphasis will be on musical sharing. The audience will be invited to discover new configurations. With concerts taking place throughout the Flagey building, in all our studios, the concept constitutes a journey of musical discovery.

Artists within their own universe

Through this approach, we also hope to move beyond the momentary snapshot of a competition. Returning to Flagey certainly entails rediscovering memories and the experience of the Competition, but also everything that unfolds beyond the stage: encounters between musicians, working together, listening to one another, exchanges during rehearsals, shared meals. These connections most often remain invisible to the audience.

Queen’s Delight seeks precisely to render this dimension both visible and audible, operating on two levels. On the one hand, it does so by bringing the laureates together within new chamber music formations, in solo, duo or trio settings. On the other, it offers the audience the opportunity to rediscover them through new dialogues, renewed musical relationships and a shared musical experience that reaches far beyond the Competition.

To this end, we collaborated closely with the musicians. Rehearsal time is precious and schedules are complicated. Our first step was to look at those laureates who already knew one another and had previously performed together. At the same time, we wanted to encourage new encounters. The pianist Jonathan Fournel confided that he feels particularly at home in chamber music and prefers chamber music to solo performances. By contrast, pianist Alexander Melnikov also wanted to retain space for the solo repertoire, where his personal voice can be fully expressed. This combination renders the day both rich and vibrant.

We also aimed to foster intergenerational exchange among the musicians. Young talents and more established artists share the stage on equal terms. This how music lives today: tradition and renewal always coexist.

Unexpected choices

Of course, selecting the programme was of central importance. It includes key works from the solo and chamber repertoire, yet we also wanted to highlight less predictable parts of the repertoire. The music of the Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe provides a pertinent example. His connection with Brussels and with Queen Elisabeth is self-evident, yet his oeuvre remains underestimated.

Alongside these appear works regarded as landmarks for each instrument, combined with highly personal choices by the musicians themselves. Violinist Sylvia Huang moves with ease between the great classical repertoire and the less frequently performed music of Rebecca Clarke, which she brings to the fore. Mezzo-soprano Eva Zaïcik explores the Lied repertoire of Richard Wagner in an intimate setting for voice and piano, alongside the pianist Severin von Eckardstein, who brings extensive experience as an accompanist. Such choices arise from dialogue rather than from an imposed concept.

In this way, we hope both to surprise and to delight our audience. Those who follow the entire musical journey will discover the laureates in a different light: no longer as soloists in competition, but as musicians in relation to one another. Familiar names appear in unexpected formations, and chamber music becomes a space of listening, response and shared breathing.

We hope to invite our audience to adopt a broader perspective on the laureates of the Queen Elisabeth Competition; to view it not as an endpoint, but as the starting point of an artistic journey. Was this not, after all, Queen Elisabeth’s own profound ambition?

Gilles Ledure, general manager of Flagey

EN

Certain artists are a joy to hear, again and again. Pianist Alexander Melnikov, winner of the 1991 Queen Elisabeth Competition, and violinist Josef Špaček, laureate of the 2012 edition, are such musicians. In this third part of Queen’s Delight, they present a programme full of colour and character, both solo and in duo: the piano miniatures from Prokofiev’s Visions fugitives, solo violin sonatas by Ysaÿe, and Stravinsky’s Divertimento, an arrangement for violin and piano from the ballet Le Baiser de la fée. A festive closing concert for this tribute to 150 years of Queen Elisabeth, brimming with rhythmic flair and personal expression.

Queen Elisabeth was born 150 years ago, a monarch with a warm heart for music and culture. Her name lives on in the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition, which has been launching leading musical talents for decades. We are celebrating this anniversary with a reunion that is already historic: ten of the most iconic laureates are gathering for one day at Flagey. They will fill the building with violin, cello, piano and singing, in various constellations.

Alexander Melnikov

Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov gained international recognition through competitions such as the International Robert Schumann Competition (1989, Third Prize) and the Queen Elisabeth Competition (1991, Fifth Prize). His interest in historical performance practice led to collaborations with the Freiburger Barockorchester, musicAeterna and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, among others. He has also performed as a soloist with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Together with Isabelle Faust, he has recorded the complete violin sonatas of Mozart, Brahms and Beethoven. For the latter, the duo received a Gramophone Award and a Grammy nomination.

Josef Špaček

Czech violinist Josef Špaček studied at the Prague Conservatory, the Curtis Institute of Music and at The Juilliard School with Itzhak Perlman. He is a laureate of the Queen Elisabeth Competition 2012 and has also won prizes at the Michael Hill International Violin Competition in New Zealand and the Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition in Denmark. Špaček has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and the Gewandhausorchester, and with conductors such as Jakub Hrůša, Manfred Honeck and Semyon Bychkov. He has made several acclaimed recordings of music by Czech composers such as Smetana, Dvořák, Janáček, Suk, Martinů and Schulhoff.

Josef Špaček

Czech violinist Josef Špaček studied at the Prague Conservatory, the Curtis Institute of Music and at The Juilliard School with Itzhak Perlman. He is a laureate of the Queen Elisabeth Competition 2012 and has also won prizes at the Michael Hill International Violin Competition in New Zealand and the Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition in Denmark. Špaček has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and the Gewandhausorchester, and with conductors such as Jakub Hrůša, Manfred Honeck and Semyon Bychkov. He has made several acclaimed recordings of music by Czech composers such as Smetana, Dvořák, Janáček, Suk, Martinů and Schulhoff.