Klarafestival 2024: the finest selection
Which are the concerts you simply cannot miss?
Sometimes the decision is quickly made. You open up the brochure of a festival or concert hall and know immediately which performances you do and do not want to see. But sometimes the choice is more difficult. You feel unsure, weigh up your options. That’s when some kind of guidance can be helpful, like this list of must-see concerts coming up in the next edition of the festival. And if you simply cannot choose, from now on there is the Klarafestival Friends Pass.
grand orchestras
Symphonic music enthusiasts simply must not miss the opening concert on Friday 8 March, because then the acclaimed Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with conductor Jaap Van Zweden and pianist Alexandre Kantorow. The concert promises a raft of tributes, with Rachmaninov's compelling Rapsody on a theme of Paganini, Brahms' Symphony No. 1 and a creation by the young composer Daniel Ting-cheung Lo.
The Budapest Festival Orchestra, conducted by Iván Fischer, will also be coming to Bozar, on 21 March. They will be offering a fresh angle on Bach’s St Matthew Passion by supplementing a selection from this masterpiece with music from non-Western traditions. An evening filled with compassion and comfort.
vocal fireworks
During Klarafestival 2024, Claron McFadden will perform three projects that bridge genres and generations: she creates a music theatre performance in the form of a radio programme around the legendary vaudevillian Ada 'Bricktop' Smith, she curates a happening around Gavin Bryars' iconic composition Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet, and finally, she delves into the oeuvre of David Lang.
Fans of the romantic song, please note: pianist Evgeny Kissin and baritone Matthias Goerne will be unleashing their magic on Sunday March 10 on the song repertoire of Schumann and Brahms. Goerne’s velvet timbre and Kissin’s narrative power transport you to the 19th century for the evening, with love, the night and nature as central themes.
The American jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant has been hailed as the standout voice of her generation. She showcases her versatility with her new large-scale project, 'Ogresse,' for which she wrote both the libretto and the music. Together with a thirteen-piece ensemble, she meanders from baroque to Broadway, from jazz to cabaret. Goosebumps guaranteed.
Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright also has a penchant for spectacle. On 16 March he presents his second opera Hadrian in combination with his best songs. At his side: the all-round Brussels Philharmonic, and the Belgian soloists Katrien Baerts and Denzil Delaere, among others.
the pinnacle of chamber music
‘A good string quartet is like a great conversation: everyone listens to and cares about one another.'* In time-honoured tradition, Klarafestival and Flagey join forces to bring the best string quartets to Belgium. On 13 March you can come and listen to the acclaimed Minguet Quartett. They will be celebrating the 100th birthday of Luigi Nono with a rendition of Fragmente-Stille, an Diotima. In the supporting programme you can hear the promising Leonkoro Quartet. The four musicians showcase their expressive potential with a diptych that balances intimacy and passion.
* From the Klara podcast 'Eerste hulp bij klassiek'
