city festival odegand press file · similarly beguiling role: works from fi gures such as purcell,...

FLANDERS FESTIVAL GHENT 1

City Festival OdeGandPhilippe HerrewegheNight of Imagination Piano Virtuoso David Fray

David Fray René JacobsArditti QuartetNight of the Imagination Philippe HerrewegheCity Festival OdeGand

Press file

2 FLANDERS FESTIVAL GHENT FLANDERS FESTIVAL GHENT 3

Flanders Festival Ghent is an international music festival hosted in the vibrant cultural city of Ghent and the greater region of East Flanders. In 2019 the Festival celebrates its 62nd edition. Ghent Festival focusses on high-quality classical music in its purest form, but also stretches the boundaries with a variety of creative formats. For instance, ‘OdeGand’ annually launches the Ghent Festival, which has since its conception grown into a breath-taking and adventurous city festival. For three weeks in September, Ghent Festival attracts more than 50.000 visitors with its daring programme of classical music, as well as world music and jazz. Young up-and-coming talent and world-famous artists share their passion and virtuosity with melomaniacs, as well as fl edgling music explorers. There are no less than 180 concerts on the programme, with more than 1.500 (inter)national artists taking part! Flanders Festival Ghent is a member of the Federation of Flanders Music Festivals (FMiV) and the European Festivals Association (EFA).

Flanders Festival Ghentwelcomed the biggest starsover the years

Barbara Hendrickx, JordiSavall, Jessye Norman, JuliaFischer, Thomas Hampson,Wiener Sängerknaben, Yo-YoMa, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui,Alain Platel, Barbara Hannigan, Philippe Herreweghe, Angela Hewitt, Patricia Kopatchinskaja,Esa-Pekka Salonen,… amongst many others!


“Once upon a time… long ago… in a place far from here…”How many children’s mouths slowly fall open when they hear this first sentence, and how many eyes then start to shine, ready to be transported into a wonderful and magical adventure? Whether it’s a tale of princesses or gnomes, fairies or talking animals: the story naturally captivates these small, unprejudiced listeners. The notion that all this is imaginary does not even occur to them.

Many years later, when we have long since forgotten the fairy tales, this magical world has given way to another kind of virtual world: a world of cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence, of fake news and a completely different kind of troll. These are the phenomena of our time, controlled by complex algorithms and stored in a data warehouse—in a place far from here…

In the meantime, this digital world determines our whole lives, with ideas and solutions that lie hidden beneath a simple mouse click. Our brains become sluggish and ever-hungrier for the latest app. At the same time, they feel oversaturated, bombarded by the continuous stream of information and disinformation. We long to escape from this fast, bizarre world; we want light and space to allow us to think and create for ourselves.

And then… the Arts enter the mix: the Arts that fire our imagination and promote our creativity; that cast a new light on the world and challenge us to think differently. They allow us to reimagine and to reflect, to dream and to fantasise; and to focus, or indeed to be as absent-minded as we like.

Art in general, and music in particular, transports us on a fascinating and never-ending journey. A melody originates from a composer’s mind. They sing it in their head and set it down on paper. That paper is interpreted and created by the performer. The melody is brought to life again and thus reaches the ear of the listener, who relives it in their own mind. Music knows no bounds; it comes into being. And our continually curious imagination allows us to hear something different.

Flanders Festival Ghent will once again transport you to a fascinating musical story. We will bedazzle you with colours and emotions, with dreams and visions; we will give you space to daydream and to allow your imagination to run wild; but above all, we aim to inspire, to surprise and to delight you. Welcome to the Festival of the Imagination!

Veerle SimoensDirector Flanders Festival Ghent


IMAGINATION 14.09 — 05.10.2019


SAT 14/09

ODEGANDScintillating City Festival

Downtown Ghent, various locations p.14

SUN 15/09

CITY OF EARUnique choir creation with Joris Blanckaert & 30 East Flemish choirs

Downtown Ghent p.13

MON 16/09

O MAGNUMMYSTERIUM Celebratory Opening Concert with Cappella Amsterdam, Amsterdam Sinfonietta & Belgian Brass

St. Bavo’s Cathedral p.8

FRI 20/09

THE GENERATION PROJECTGems of three centuries of chamber music by promising ensembles of the ECMA & their masters

Music Centre Bijloke —Kraakhuis p.23

SUN 22/09

PARKLIFE

Open-air music festival for pleasure seekers of any age

Parkbos Ghent p.16

MON 23/09

MASTERFUL BRUCKNERLeading global figure with Ghent roots:Philippe Herreweghe with Collegium Vocale Gent & Orchestre des Champs-Elysées

St. Bavo’s Cathedral p.20

TUE 24/09

MOZART: A SYMPHONY OF SONGSRené Jacobs distils Mozart’s genius

Opera Ghent p. 22

THU 26/09

MÉDITERRA– NUITSouthern rhythms in the heart of Ghent

Opera Ghent, Old Fish Market, Minard Theatre Selection of bars in Ghent p.18

FRI 27/09

FORGOTTENDementia on the waves of music by the Nederlands Kamerkoor(Netherlands Chamber Choir)

Opera Ghent p.9

SUN 29/09

BACH’S GOLDBERGVARIATIONS Matinee concert with piano virtuoso David Fray

Opera Ghent p.24

TUE 01/10

AMORVisionairy experience in the realm between life and death with Michèle Anne De Mey & Jaco Van Dormael

Opera Ghent p.10

WED 02/10

ARDITTI QUARTETWorld-beating Quartet

MIRY Concert Hall p.25

SAT 05/10

FINAL CONCERT:VERDI’S REQUIEMDrama & grandeur with Choir & Orchestra of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

Opera Ghent p.12

18/09 — 13/12

GHENT FESTIVAL IN EAST-FLANDERS Different concerts in 24 cities & municipalities

FRI 04/10

NIGHT OF THE IMAGINATION Haven for art

Citadel Site p.17

NEW!

OdeGand routes

More info on p.14


VERGETEN (FORGOTTEN)Dementia on the waves of music with the Nederlands Kamerkoor (Netherlands Chamber Choir)

FRI 27/9 | 20:30 TICKETS & INFOOpera Ghent 38 | 32 | 25 | 14 EURO www.gentfestival.be/en

Vergeten (Forgotten) might best be described as an indeterminable journey through the mind of someone with dementia. The texts are written by Spinvis, the hugely popular polymath who never shies away from the great human themes, taboo or otherwise. Where words are simply inadequate, music steps in: the performance is driven by a haunting musical selection from the contemporary choral repertoire. The Nederlands Kamerkoor (Netherlands Chamber Choir) has already been performing on the global stage for almost a century and relishes the opportunity to venture into this experimental terrain. Immerse yourself in a truly moving project in which creative fi gures of all stripes connect in a melting pot of theatre, music and dismay!

GESAMTKUNST

O MAGNUM MYSTERIUM Celebratory Opening Concert with Cappella Amsterdam, Amsterdam Sinfonietta & Belgian Brass

MON 16/9 | 20:30 TICKETS & INFOSt. Bavo’s Cathedral 58 | 49 | 38 | 23 | 12 EURO www.gentfestival.be/en

An opening concert should always be something extraordinary. To this end, Flanders Festival Ghent has put together an exceptional programme around this year’s theme, Imagination, which seeks out the fi ne line between light and darkness, life and death; between the earthly and the transcendent. Beneath the vaults of St. Bavo’s Cathedral, a symbol of mankind’s urge to create, this concert seeks to capture the cumulative imagination of diff erent generations of artists who have drawn on the symbolism of light and darkness. The encounter between the writer Maud Vanhauwaert and three leading ensembles – Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Cappella Amsterdam and Belgian Brass – adds a new chapter to this story. This opening evening is more than just a concert. It is an all-round experience that appeals to at least six senses, meaning that for a time, you simply revel in its overwhelming eff ect. This spirit-lifting experience sets the tone for three weeks of Ghent Festival!

PROGRAMMEAnton Bruckner – Aequales, WAB 114 & 149Alfred Schnittke – Three Sacred HymnsWilliam Walton – From Henry V: Two Pieces for StringsClaudio Monteverdi – From L’Orfeo: Act III, Sinfonia no 2Thomas Tallis – O nata Lux – Why fum’th in sight Ralph Vaughan Williams – Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas TallisGiovanni Gabrieli – O Magnum Mysterium Johann Sebastian Bach – Ich ruf’ zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639Arvo Pärt – From Kanon Pokajanen: Prayer after the canonOttorino Respighi – From Antiche arie e danze, Suite no 3: ItalianaGerald Finzi – From Dies Natalis, Op. 8: Intrada

TEXT & DIRECTIONSpinvis textTitus Tiel Groenestege director

PERFORMERSCappella Amsterdam choirAmsterdam Sinfonietta orchestraBelgian Brass Maud Vanhauwaert writer

PERFORMERSNederlands Kamerkoor NYK actor Erik Bosgraaf recorder Jorrit Tamminga electronics Peter Dijkstra conductor

PROGRAMME Works by Johannes Brahms, David Fennessy, Kaija Saariaho, Ingvar Lidholm, Spinvis...

© Amsterdam Sinfonietta

© Melle Meivogel


Amor is a dance in the spirit world between life and death. This controversial performance was prompted by a near-death experience of the choreographer and dancer Michèle Anne De Mey after suff ering a thermal shock in Canada. In an attempt to reconjure this extreme event, De Mey almost loses herself in a comatose vision in which she encounters love as the ultimate antidote to death.

She is helped in her psychological odyssey by the fi lmmaker Jaco Van Dormael, who integrates the spectators into the proceedings by fi ring off visual associations at them. The music fulfi ls a similarly beguiling role: works from fi gures such as Purcell, Vivaldi and Biber, performed live by baroque ensemble BachPlus, fl irt precariously on the fi ne line between reason and emotion. Thus, the stage of Opera Ghent becomes the symbolic battleground between science and mysticism, dance and music, life and death.

AMORVisionary experience in the realm between life and death with Michèle Anne De Mey & Jaco Van Dormael

TUE 1/10 | 20:30 TICKETS & INFOOpera Ghent 38 | 32 | 25 | 14 EURO

www.gentfestival.be/en

Following the overwhelming success of a digital ‘nanodance’ in Kiss & Cry and Cold Blood, Jaco Van Dormael and Michèle Anne De Mey build on this dynamic by experimenting with a new theatrical language in Amor.

PROGRAMMEWorks by Alessandro Scarlatti, Henry Purcell, Olivier Messiaen, Prince…

PERFORMERSMichèle Anne De Mey dance Jaco Van Dormael direction BachPlus conducted by Bart Naessens

© Maarten Van den Abbeele

© Julien Lambert


DRAMA & GRANDEUR WITH VERDI’S REQUIEMFinal Concert: Choir & Orchestra of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

SAT 5/10 | 20:30 TICKETS & INFOOpera Ghent 73 | 62 | 47 | 28 EURO www.gentfestival.be/en

It came as a great surprise when the Italian operatic genius Giuseppe Verdi proudly presented his audience with a requiem. Moreover, his monumental Messa da Requiem is not entirely at home in the traditional line-up of the genre. As a religious sceptic, Verdi speaks a language in this work that is more theatrical than ecclesiastical. Nonetheless, the outcome is indeed quintessential Verdi: the Dies Irae and Rex Tremendae are thrilling great hunks of energy in which the four soloists perform a number of intimate passages, and the whole work gradually draws to a close in a tone of acute despair.

Even in his operas, Verdi never passed through so broad an emotional spectrum in so few pages. The Orchestra of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen has had the music of Verdi at its fi ngertips for generations, and the internationally renowned Choir of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen is also eager to get its teeth into one of the great favourites of the choral repertoire. An unforgettable hour and a half!

CITY OF EARUnique choir creation with Joris Blanckaert & 30 East Flemish choirs

SUN 15/9 | 14:00 & 16:00 FREE OF CHARGEGhent city centre www.gentfestival.be/en

As a thundering fi nale to OdeGand on Sunday 15 September, we will be presenting the brand-new City of Ear performed with composer Joris Blanckaert. City of Ear will be raising the issue of acoustic ecology in one of the world’s noisiest eras. We have more and more diffi culty in hearing the sounds around us that really matter and that spark communication. With this event, ‘The Voice’ will (re)gain its place in the city.

City of Ear is a soundscape for the city. Overall, hundreds of voices will be sounding out from every corner of the city centre. Walking between the 30 choirs will be a unique experience as the constantly changing music interacts with the sounds of the city. Come and enjoy witnessing ‘The Voice’ prevail in Ghent!

PROGRAMMEGuiseppe Verdi Messa da Requiem

PERFORMERSEleanor Lyons soprano Teresa Iervolino mezzo-soprano Sergey Romanovsky tenor Roberto Scandiuzzi bass Choir & Symphonic Orchestra ofOpera Ballet Vlaanderen Vlaams Radiokoor Alejo Pérez musical direction Jan Schweiger choir direction

© Jens Baert


ODEGAND EN ROUTE(S) Scintillating City Festival

SAT 14/9 | 13:30 TICKETS Downtown Ghent, 29 EUROvarious locations www.odegand.gent

Music that entices you. Historic Ghent that enchants you. Rhythms that leave you no choice but to move. All this and more is OdeGand. This scintillating music festival will once again be resonating along the idyllic banks of the Lys, snaking across the squares and meandering through the many hidden corners of the city. On Saturday 14 September, OdeGand will be conquering Ghent’s musical heart – and yours too!

Will you opt for heavenly music beneath Ghent’s towers; an exhilarating southern voyage; fairy-tale sounds; infectious percussion; or simply first-class classical music? Also you’ll enjoy the familiar OdeGand vibe with boats, bubbles, taxi bikes, musical gems, a blood-curdling piano battle and the breath-taking closing spectacle.

The festivities will be in full swing all day long, and especially in the evening, when we’ll be lighting up Graslei and Korenlei with music on the water and launching fireworks. Kick off your cultural season with a bang at OdeGand!

New!

Long queues at the concert locations are a thing of the past. Now you can reserve your OdeGand Route in advance, guaranteeing you a place during the various concerts!

FESTIVENTS

Programme & routes online on Wednesday 19 June via www.odegand.gent/en

© Steven Hendrickx

© Steven Hendrickx

© Wouter Van Vaerenbergh

© Rudy Carlier


PARKLIFEOpen-air music festival for pleasure seekers of any age

SUN 22/9 | 11:30 FREE ADMISSION TO THE PARK VILLAGE Parkbos Ghent PARK ROUTE 8 EURO (UNDER 5Y FREE)

Programme online half of August www.parklife.gent

Parklife is back in 2019! On Sunday 22 September, the Parkbos will truly come to life with this delightful open-air music festival for pleasure-seekers of all ages. You determine the rhythm at this musical Mecca on the outskirts of Ghent. As the wonderful sounds fi ll your ears and home-made delicacies caress your tongue, the grass beneath your feet will gently vibrate with the music being made by young children, old hands, superb string specialists and youthful wind instrumentalists. Step into our green bubble to experience this blissful sensation!

© Wouter Van Vaerenbergh

© Rudy Carlier

NIGHT OF THE IMAGINATION A haven for art

FRI 4/10 | AT NIGHT TICKETS Citadel Site, MSK, 33 EUROS.M.A.K., Plantentuin Full programme online from the end of August via www.nachtvandeverbeelding.gent/en

Let Flanders Festival Ghent set you free with the Night of the Imagination, the latest addition to the Festival family. Starting with the fi rm conviction that it is free spirits who liberate us from compartmentalised thinking, predictable paths and the paralysing eff ects of convenience,

Flanders Festival Ghent will be giving free rein to the Imagination on the evening and night of 4 October. The Citadel Site will become a haven for ideas and creativity. A veritable Valhalla for all art forms with an open perspective on the here & now. Anything goes: an installation, a performance—or even an installation performance—music, literature, poetry, dance and fi lm…

Step into this new, uncharted world and let your imagination run wild. Shake of the shackles and join us at the Night of the Imagination!



FLAMBOYANT FLAMENCO WITH LUISA PALICIOAfter two sell-out performances at the Floraliënhal last year, there was no question that fl amenco should also play a role in the 2019 festival. As one of the most talented and best-loved fl amenco dancers of her generation, Luisa Palicio was named Artista Revelación at the Seville Biennale. She will enchant you with her extraordinary elegance and the graceful movements of her bata de cola, the typical Flamenco dress with its fi tted train. Get ready for her penetrating gaze, poise, and rhythmically stamping feet: hold on tight for a performance whose sensuality simply sizzles on the stage!

OPERA GHENT | 18:30 & 20:00

O’FADO WITH MARCO RODRIGUES Marco Rodrigues lives and breathes fado. He is Portugal’s leading fado star, and apart from the big concert stages, you’ll also fi nd him performing in authentic Lisbon bars. He will soon be swapping his southern birthplace for sultry Ghent during Méditerra-Nuit. He will overload you with his passionate voice and sense of drama. All who hear him are certain to be hooked!

OLD FISH MARKET | 18:30 OPERA GHENT | 22:15

AUTHENTIC SARDINIA WITH ELENA LEDDAElena Ledda, easily Sardinia’s most successful female singer, combines her island’s unique musical tradition with contemporary instruments and jazz infl uences. With her pure voice and an intense programme, she’ll immerse you in the emotions of her resonant religious heritage. Let yourself be seduced by her unique sound!

OLD FISH MARKET | 21:00 & 22:15

GREEK MAGIC WITHKATERINA PAPADOPOULOUTogether with three musicians and a dancer, Katerina Papadopoulou—one of Greece’s most phenomenal singers—brings to life the passionate soul of traditional song with her own contemporary panache. With her unrivalled expressiveness and intensity, she will immediately transport you to a Greece of both the past and the present!

MINARD THEATRE | 19:30 & 20:45

Luisa Palicio Elena LeddaMÉDITERRA-NUIT Southern rhythms in the heart of Ghent

THU 26/9 | 18:30 TICKETS & INFO Opera Ghent, 34 EURO (TWO DIFFERENT CONCERTS 1ST CAT.)Old Fish Market, Minard Theatre 26 EURO (TWO DIFFERENT CONCERTS 2ND CAT.)Selection of bars in Ghent One-hour concerts www.gentfestival.be/en

The gentle melancholy of a fado singer with a guitar enthrals you. You sip your port, delicious petiscos within easy reach. You’re in good company, surrounded by kindred spirits who share your love of music. Now close your eyes and you’re transported to sultry Lisbon—you fi nd yourself in one of the many traditional bars of the Alfama quarter, the birthplace of fado. Here, unwinding and mingling with the locals, is the perfect holiday destination. But what if we told you there’s no need to fl y south for exactly this experience?

During Méditerra-Nuit, Flanders Festival Ghent will quite simply be bringing the cream of Mediterranean music to Ghent. With Portuguese fado, Spanish fl amenco along with a smattering of Sardinian and Greek music, you’ll instantly be catapulted back to your last trip south.

A few years ago, the great fadista Marco Rodrigues raised the roof at NTGent during the Flanders Festival Ghent, and this year we have been lucky enough to secure him once more. Together with a whole host of other musicians, he’ll be kicking of our southern festivities!

DINNER & CONCERTA three course menu (drinks excl.)& two concerts (1st cat.)

CAFE THEATRE | 74 euro | max 4 pers.PAKHUIS | 68,90 euro | max 4 pers.www.gentfestival.be/en/dinnerconcert

Marco Rodrigues

Practical detailsDuring Méditerra-Nuit you can choose two diff erent concerts that will be staged at the Opera Ghent, Minard Theatre and the Old Fish Market. Throughout the evening, you can visit a selection of bars where you can enjoy more fabulous southern music!


LEADING GLOBAL FIGURES WITH GHENT ROOTS

© Michiel Hendryckx

© Michel Garnier

MASTERFUL BRUCKNER Leading global figure with Ghent roots: Philippe Herreweghe with Collegium Vocale Gent & Orchestre des Champs-Elysées

MON 23/9 | 20:30 TICKETS & INFO St. Bavo’s Cathedral 73 | 62 | 47 | 29 | 15 EURO www.gentfestival.be/en

When Philippe Herreweghe shines his light on something, he is guaranteed to deliver a striking result. During Ghent Festival, Herreweghe is joining forces with his world-famous kindred spirits Collegium Vocale Gent and the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées to focus on the Romantic repertoire.

The orchestral grandeur of Anton Bruckner conceals a deep-rooted religiosity, both in his instrumental Symphony No. 2 and in his vocal Mass No. 2. With impressive blocks of sound, like musical renderings of giant cathedrals, Bruckner puts his music entirely at the service of the Eternal Unknown.

Thanks to his characteristic use of period instruments, Herreweghe also lays bare a great transparency and naturalness. In the meantime, there is an ever-growing series of CD recordings, all of which attest to Herreweghe’s successes in penetrating Bruckner’s rough exterior to expose the warm heart within. Experience art religion in its purest form in the hands of a monumental conductor, in this the perfect setting of St. Bavo’s Cathedral. A shining star in the Festival firmament that you simply must feast your eyes on!

PROGRAMME Anton Bruckner Symphony no 2 in c Minor Mass no 2 in e Minor

PERFORMERS Orchestre des Champs-Elysées Collegium Vocale Gent Philippe Herreweghe conductor

DINNER & CONCERT A three course menu (drinks excl.)& two concerts (1st cat.)

PAKHUIS | 113 euro | max 4 pers.MIDTOWN GRILL | 128 euro | max 4 pers.www.gentfestival.be/en/dinnerconcert


PROGRAMMEWolfgang Amadeus Mozart Arias fromLe Nozze di Figaro and Die Zauberfl öte Selections from Symphony no 40 in g Minor and Symphony no 41 in C Major

PERFORMERSSunhae Im soprano Johannes Weisser baritone B’Rock Orchestra René Jacobs conductor

PERFORMERSEuropean Chamber Music Academy Trio Hélios Kruppa Quartet Cosmos Quartet Jan Talich violin Petr Prause cello Marianna Shirinyan piano

PROGRAMMEJoseph Haydn Piano trio in G Major, “All’Ongarese” Johannes Brahms Sextet for strings in B fl at Major Kaija Saariaho Light and Matter Robert Schumann Piano quintet in E fl at Major

YOUNG GO-GETTERSAND LIVING LEGENDS

"ECMA, founded by Hatto Beyerle from the Alban Berg Quartett has been for us a life changing experience. Our perspective on music has shifted into a deeper and more profound understanding of the stories we tell on stage. It has been an honor to meet so many great minds of the musical and artistic world, helping us move forward with our art, and convey emotion to the people who listen to it."

- Kruppa Quartet

© Molina Visuals

Kruppa Quartet

THE GENERATION PROJECT Gems from three centuries of chamber music by promising ensembles & their masters

FRI 20/9 | 20:00 TICKETS & INFOBijloke Music Centre 12 EUROKraakhuis www.gentfestival.be/en

When diff erent generations of leading musicians share a stage, sparks are sure to fl y. During the European Chamber Music Academy, a selection of promising virtuosos were able to hone their skills in a series of intensive masterclasses with their musical role models who have already more than earned their spurs. At the closing concert, The Generation Project, this new generation of talented musicians undergoes its musical baptism of fi re at De Bijloke alongside their illustrious mentors. For this select group, this undoubtedly signals the starting shot of a fl ourishing career, in which they will actively shape international concert life over the coming years. With works from Haydn, Brahms, Schumann and Saariaho, there is a generous selection from the rich chamber music repertoire on the programme. Allow yourself to be astonished by the sparkling enthusiasm of tomorrow’s stars.

MOZART: A SYMPHONY OF SONGS René Jacobs distils Mozart’s genius

TUE 24/9 | 20:30 TICKETS & INFOOpera Ghent 58 | 44 | 36 | 22 EURO www.gentfestival.be/en

For years, leading Belgian conductor René Jacobs has been one of the most prominent standard-bearers in a worldwide Mozart revival. In 2005 Jacobs even received a Grammy for a CD recording of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. It is the very same opera that forms the framework for this idiosyncratic programme packed with passion and drama. Jacobs distils the most moving passages from The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute to create a Mozart opera in miniature. Moreover, the vocal rough-and-tumble between two lovers is interspersed with the youthful enthusiasm of Mozart’s Symphony in G and with the mature craftsmanship of his fi nal symphony, of which the heroic title ‘Jupiter’ comes as no surprise. Thus together with the ensemble B’Rock, universally praised as the creative pioneers of the Belgian music scene, Jacobs off ers us an insight into the mind of the versatile genius Mozart.


LIVING LEGENDS: ARDITTI QUARTET World-beating quartet

WED 2/10 | 20:30 TICKETS & INFOMIRY Concert Hall 28 | 18 EURO www.gentfestival.be/en

With the Arditti Quartet, the Festival has secured one of the most famous string quartets of recent decades. Always up for an unusual challenge, the Arditti Quartet quickly evolved into a major champion of contemporary classical music, often in the most radical form.

Musical greats like John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Wolfgang Rihm and György Ligeti dedicated their compositions to the Arditti Quartet, and even went to them for advice when fi ne-tuning these works. No other ensemble has been so signifi cant in the development and dissemination of the contemporary chamber music repertoire. It therefore came as no surprise when they became the fi rst ensemble ever to win the prestigious Ernst von Siemens Music Prize — essentially the Nobel Prize for music.

After 45 years, the Arditti Quartet sounds as obdurate and uncompromising as ever. A live performance by these four living legends should therefore be high up on every music lover’s bucket list!

BACH’S GOLDBERG VARIATIONSMatinee concert with piano virtuoso David Fray

SUN 29/9 | 15:00 TICKETS & INFOOpera Ghent 34 | 28 | 18 | 12 EURO

www.gentfestival.be/en

Despite his young age, the French pianist David Fray can boast an impressive record of achievements. Having won virtually every prestigious prize for emerging talent, he made a series of much talked-of CD recordings with prominent orchestras.

Fray is valued not least for his playful and idiosyncratic character, which has also led to being compared to Glenn Gould, the iconic performer of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. It is no coincidence that Fray also regards this striking work by Bach as one of his favourite pieces. In a collection of variations on an apparently innocent theme, with his Goldberg Variations Bach presented thirty miniatures with the most diverse musical characters. Navigating between lyricism and tempestuousness, Bach examines the tension of the original theme.

This undisputed culmination of the Baroque period not only demands a virtuosity of the performer that Fray clearly has at his fi ngertips, but also a musical personality that he is only too pleased to translate into the vocabulary of the piano. During our ‘Matinee Concert’, Fray truly brings out the best in Bach’s brilliant masterpiece!

PROGRAMMEPascal Dusapin – String quartet no 5 György Ligeti – String quartet no 2 György Kurtág – Offi cium Breve in Memoriam Andreae Szervánszky, Op. 28 Anton Webern – 6 Bagatelles, Op. 9 John Cage – String Quartet in Four Parts

PERFORMERSArditti Quartet

PROGRAMMEJohann Sebastian BachGoldberg Variations, BWV 988

PERFORMERDavid Fray piano

© François Berthier

© Astrid Karger


WHY CHOOSE GHENT FOR A WEEKEND TRIP? Vibrant Ghent is well worth a weekend trip. It’s ideal for a last-minute city trip as well.

Quirky Ghent off ers a fascinating cultural cocktail brimming with trendy, modern urban life.

Ghent is a city where people enjoy life: a chilled-out place where anything goes and a city that feels human.

Its friendly, welcoming people love the good life.

Don’t miss the chance to admire the world-famous masterpiece — the Mystic Lamb by the Van Eyck brothers — during your weekend trip.

VISIT GHENT

Tourist Information Centre Old Fish Market

AddressSint-Veerleplein 5 9000 Ghent

Open Mon – Sat 10:00 – 18:00

www.visitgent.be/en

Ghent Marriott Hotel

Korenlei 10, Ghent +32 (0)9 233 93 93 www.marriottghent.com

NH Hotel Hoogpoort 63, Ghent +32 (0)9 233 33 31 www.nh-hotels.com

Pillows Grand Hotel Reylof

Hoogstraat 36, Ghent +32 (0) 9 235 40 70 www.pillowshotels.com/ghent


The Ghent Festival of Flanders also organises numerous concerts outside Ghent. Every year, towns, boroughs and villages in the province of East Flanders participate in the joys of the festival with great enthusiasm. They do so under the special patronage of Jan Briers, the Honorary Governor of East Flanders. We would like to thank the people of East Flanders for hosting the festival.

This year 24 villages and boroughs organize in total 27 concerts. The following artists will perform during the Festival in East Flanders:

FESTIVAL IN EAST-FLANDERS

FLANDERS FESTIVAL GHENT 29FLANDERS FESTIVAL GHENT 29

JAN BRIERS, HONORARY GOVERNOR OF

EAST FLANDERS

ANNELEEN LENAERTS & BRUSSELS PHILHAR-MONIC SOLOISTS

CROSSBONES KWARTSLAG

ORTWIN LOWYCK &

ENSOR BAROQUEDUO ROZEMOND & BEKKERS

Ô-CELLI

30 FLANDERS FESTIVAL GHENT

INTERVIEWS, IMAGES, INFOwww.gentfestival.be/en/pers

Press & CommunicationsLiesbeth [email protected]+ 32 (0)9 243 94 86+ 32 (0)472 44 63 03

Flanders Festival Ghent Bijlokekaai 8, bus 9 9000 Ghent T +32 (0)9 243 94 94 [email protected] www.gentfestival.be

Follow us @gentfestival

city festival odegand press file · similarly beguiling role: works from fi gures such as purcell,...

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