undisputed masterpieces
In addition to some forgotten gems and quite a number of new compositions, Klarafestival also has a few undisputed masterpieces in its programme.
Classics by composers whose impact on the history of music cannot be overestimated. In Wagner, Mahler and Strauss, we have three titans of the late Romantic period. We also celebrate Piazzolla’s hundredth birthday with a double concert dedicated to him.
metamorphosen: wagner and strauss with Karl-Heinz Steffens
The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra plays two Romance masterpieces conducted by Karl-Heinz Steffens on March 21. In Wagner’s Siegfried-Idylle, we listen as nature gently awakens with birdsong and orange sunrise. Richard Strauss’ Metamorphosen, written during the final months of the Second World War, is a moving lament for the decline of German culture. The score quotes from the funeral march from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, among others. In addition to this late Richard Strauss work, they will perform his Serenade for 13 Wind Instruments: a work from the composer’s youth that caught the ear of the renowned conductor Hans von Bülow and earned Strauss his first taste of fame.
mahler's das lied von der erde
The last great project of the greatly-missed conductor, pianist and composer Reinbert de Leeuw was an arrangement of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde for the Brussels ensemble Het Collectief. They perform this special arrangement, with its songlike intimacy, in La Monnaie/De Munt at the invitation of Klarafestival and BOZAR. The vocal soloists are the French mezzo-soprano Lucile Richardot and the Belgian tenor Yves Saelens. In the lyrics Mahler used for Das Lied von der Erde - free translations of ancient Chinese nature poetry - a sudden realisation of one’s own mortality leads to the hedonistic enjoyment of the beauty of nature.
happy birthday piazzolla!
Astor Piazzolla, the grandmaster of the Argentine tango, was born exactly 100 years ago in March 2021! Klarafestival and BOZAR invite the renowned Brussels tango ensemble SONICO to ensure Piazzolla’s centenary is celebrated in style. On their third album – to be previewed at Klarafestival – they juxtapose the music of Piazzolla’s first avant-garde tango group (the Octeto Buenos Aires) with music by the Argentine composer Eduardo Rovira and his Octeto La Plata. Later in the evening, the Orquesta Tanguedia, led by Gwen Cresens, performs some Piazzolla classics including the Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas – four tango compositions for quintet that evoke the four seasons in Buenos Aires.
register now
From March 13 until 22, we will present forgotten gems, great Romantic classics, plenty of new creations and also new, young talent. You’re welcome on our website to explore this digital experience. If you want to enjoy the free digital concerts, please don't forget to register in advance. Register via www.Klarafestival.be/live and watch the entire festival in optimal audio and video quality for free.
Images
© Griet De Cort
© Vincent Callot
© Bruno Bonansea
