Brussels Philharmonic, Vlaams Radiokoor, Ilan Volkov & Lawrence Power
janáček - miller - bartók
A very warm welcome to Klarafestival!
Flanders Festival Brussels, Klara and our partners are delighted to greet you once again. “I believe audiences aren’t just listening. They are actively contributing”, festival artist Barbara Hannigan remarked in an interview. Concerts are an interaction between the audience, artists and anyone who is contributing to those magic moments in front of or behind the scenes. Together we ‘become’ music.
As a conductor and soprano, Hannigan is a global reference point. With her, classical music becomes a contemporary and unique experience. This is an inspiration to Klarafestival as the largest broadcast festival in Belgium. Her versatile talent is sure to enrapture you, as is that of the many Belgian and international artists who connect past and present with musical stories.
Klarafestival opens in style with Hannigan as conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. After that, you will hear and see her with young musicians from her mentorship project Equilibrium Young Artists. In no fewer than 25 concerts, we present top talent including Les Talens Lyriques, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and Vilde Frang, and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra with Víkingur Ólafsson. Klarafestival also treasures creation. The film concert Reich/Richter as a symbiosis of Gerhard Richter’s paintings and the music of Steve Reich; the creation Counterforces by composer Frederik Croene to text by poet Dominique de Groen; and the music theatre production Prey by Kris Verdonck with a composition by Annelies Van Parys will surprise you!
This and all other concerts are possible thanks to the collaboration with our cultural partners: Bozar, Flagey, Kaaitheater, Théâtre Varia, Muntpunt, Concertgebouw Brugge and DE SINGEL. Thanks to our private partners KPMG, Proximus, Brewery Omer Vander Ghinste, Belfius, Interparking and the players of Belgium’s National Lottery. We are grateful for the support of the Flemish Community and the Brussels Capital Region. And finally, thanks to Klara and VRT: there would be no broadcast festival without their valued collaboration.
Joost Fonteyne
Intendant Klarafestival
Brussels Philharmonic
Vlaams Radiokoor
Ilan Volkov, conductor
Lawrence Power, viola
presentation by Greet Samyn
broadcasted by Klara (live)
***
Leoš Janáček (1854 – 1928)
Říkadla
I. Úvod - Introduction
II. Rípa se vdávala - Beetroot was getting married
III. Není lepsí jako z jara - There is no time like the Springtime
V. Leze krtek - Mole comes crawling
V. Karel do pekla zajel - Charlie rode off to hell
VI. Roztrhané kalhoty - Torn trouser legs
VII. Franta rasu hrál na basu - Frankie the knacker’s lad played the bass
VIII. Nás pes. nás pes - Our Dog
IX. Delám, delám kázání - I give you a sermon
X. Stará bába carovala - The old witch was casting a spell
XI. Hó, hó. krávy dó - Ho, ho the cows all go
XII. Moje zena malucická - My wee little wife
XIII. Bába leze do bezu - The old woman has crawled into the elder tree
XIV. Koza bílá hrusky sbírá - White goat gathers pears
XV. Nemec brouk, hrnce tlouk - Gerry beetle smashed the pots
XVI. Koza lezí na sene - Goat’s lying in the hay
XVII. Vasek, pasek, bubeník - Wenceslas, the smart drummer-boy
XVIII. Frantíku, Frantíku - Frankie boy
XIX. Sedel medvid na kolodi - Bear sat on a log
Cassandra Miller (1976)
I cannot love without trembling - Concerto for Viola and Orchestra
(world premiere, commission by Brussels Philharmonic, BBC Radio 3, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Viola Commissioning Circle)
- intermission -
Béla Bartók (1881 – 1945)
The Miraculous Mandarin, Op. 19
end scheduled at 21:45
Říkadla
The Czech writer Milan Kundera wrote of Leoš Janáček (1854-1928) that “If Janáček had died when he was 50, then he would merely have made it to a footnote in the history of music.” The Czech composer would develop his own musical language in the following decades and composed his best works only in the last 20 years of his life. An important stimulus for this was the public recognition of his work, but his passionate love for Kamila Stösslová, forty years his junior, certainly also helped inspire him from 1017 onward.
The drive towards innovation that is so typical of Janáček’s late works drew also on his fascination for Czech folk music and language. It was said that he would transcribe conversations that he heard around him in cafés and other public places. He considered that melodies could offer insight into the mood of a speaker: “The cadences of one’s speech show whether someone is foolish or intelligent, sleepy or alert, tired or alert.” Starting in 1897, he worked on a theory about recitatives, in which he strove to reflect as closely as possible the speed, tonality, intonation and rhythm found in spoken language. In his music, melodies not only follow rising and falling lines and short, irregular phrases of language; they also serve to describe the characters.
A principle that Janáček also applied to the nursery rhymes in his Říkadla collection. The music is as absurd as the texts. Some even have a slightly sadistic element: “My tiny little wife, I put her in the porridge; the lid goes on top, and she will make a delicious soup.” Janáček was 72 when he composed this music, but he certainly had not forgotten how to play. To give expression to the childlike and humorous mood, he used some eccentric instruments such as an ocarina, little clarinets and a toy drum. In 1924, he wrote an initial version with eight rhymes, for three women’s voices, clarinet and piano. In the final version, composed in 1926, he expanded the number of verses and the vocal ensemble, and added some deeper instruments such as the (contra)bassoon and the double bass.
I cannot love without trembling
The last concerto by the Canadian composer Cassandra Miller (1976), ‘Duet for cello and orchestra’ written in 2015, was named by The Guardian as one of the best musical works of the 21st century. So we can only look forward to the world première of her latest (viola) concerto, ‘I cannot love without trembling’, dedicated to Lawrence Power. Miller had worked with the violist in the past and drew for her concerto on his song-like style of playing.
She found inspiration for the theme in the writings of Simone Weil, in which the philosopher posits that every absence also carries within it a form of presence. Miller saw a striking resemblance with a recording by the violinist Alexis Zoumbas, which she came across during a trip in northern Greece. Zoumbas was forced to flee to New York in 1910 and there he recorded some of his own versions of moiroloi, songs of lament that had been sung for centuries at funerals by the women of Epirus. They express not only the musical history of his distant homeland, but also his devastating homesickness.
With these recordings, Miller went to work via a process that has come to characterize many of her compositions: “I sang along repeatedly (first with Zoumbas’ recording, and then with my own) in a ritualized, meditative process that I refer to as ‘automatic singing’. In this way, the moiroloi became a trembling-loving-mourning sigh by the violinist. In Zoumbas' laments, I sought a supernatural space for dreaming – a space of both separation and connection, absence and presence - in the hope of being able to share in our mourning and our dreaming in the concert hall tonight.”
The Miraculous Mandarin
“It will be hellish music if I succeed,” Béla Bartók (1881-1945) warned his wife when he composed the pantomime titled ‘The Miraculous Mandarin’. That was certainly no lie; the ballet was an explosive work in every sense. To begin with, the libretto by Menyhért Lengyel was rife with criminality: in the tumult of a grey city, a few loitering thugs incite a prostitute to rob her clients. The first two victims appear to have empty pockets and are killed in cold blood. The third is a Chinese nobleman. He cannot resist the charms of the young woman and captures her after a wild chase. While he tries to embrace her, the young men mercilessly attack the mandarin. But his desire holds him up, and only after the woman has kissed him does he succumb to his wounds.
Bartók read the ballet scenario in 1917 in the Hungarian literary magazine Nyugat. A year later, he had finished the piano score, but it would take him until 1923 to finish the orchestration. The music itself seems devilish: raw, dissonant and arrhythmic sounds evoke the restless atmosphere of a big, noisy city. The orchestral violence is occasionally interrupted by a sweet, seductive melody in the clarinet, which portrays the woman’s attempts at seduction. The amoral content and the expressionistic music caused great scandal at the premiere in 1926: “Cologne, a city of churches, monasteries and chapels has lived to see its first true (musical) scandal. Catcalls, whistling, stamping, and booing ... which did not subside even after the composer’s personal appearance, nor even after the curtain went down.” The work was banned in Cologne as well, and it would be only in 1946 that the work would be performed live in Hungary. After Bartók had turned it into an orchestral suite and shortened it (in the suite, the story ends with the mandarin’s chasing after the woman), Bartók gave the work fresh life. And in so doing, The Miraculous Mandarin has after all become a frequently performed and much-loved work.
Commentary by Aurélie Walschaert
Ilan Volkov
Ilan Volkov is known as a figurehead of the international contemporary music scene, as founder of the cutting-edge Tectonics Festival, but he is just as at home with the classical and romantic literature, which he has conducted in concert halls and opera houses around the world. Still a teenager, he became Seiji Ozawa’s assistant at Boston Symphony Orchestra and by the age of 27 he had been appointed Chief Conductor of BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, then the youngest conductor of a BBC orchestra. He currently serves as Principal Guest Conductor of the Brussels Philharmonic, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and guest conducts a wide variety of ensembles.
Lawrence Power
Deeply inspired by contemporary music, Lawrence Power aims to expand the viola repertoire by commissioning 10 new concertos over a 10-year period through the Viola Commissioning Circle initiative. Already several works have been commissioned to renowned composers like Esa-Pekka Salonen, James MacMillan and Erkki-Sven Tüür, some of which were nominated for the 2021 South Bank Awards in the Classical category. He has also inspired other composers, including Cassandra Miller who wrote the viola concerto I cannot love without trembling. This concerto is a commission by the Brussels Philharmonic, BBC Radio 3, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the Viola Commissioning Circle, and is set to premiere with the Brussels Philharmonic under the direction of Ilan Volkov.
Cassandra Miller
Dr. Cassandra Miller (1976) is a Canadian composer of vocal, chamber and orchestral music, living in London, UK. As is the case with I cannot love without trembling - Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, Miller’s practice focuses on an exploration of transcription and other transformation methods as a compositional process. Her works are often written with specific performers in mind, involving their intimate participation in the creative process. Her closest collaborators in this fashion have included soprano Juliet Fraser, the Quatuor Bozzini, conductor Ilan Volkov, and, of course, violist Lawrence Power.
Vlaams Radiokoor
Since 1937, the Vlaams Radiokoor has been a reference for vocal music, both in Flanders and in Europe. The voice is the ultimate interpreter of our emotions, and the choir is one of its greatest ambassadors. Since the 19-20 season, Bart Van Reyn is music director of the Radiokoor. A shared passion for baroque and contemporary repertoire, the belief that the voice is the ultimate interpreter of our emotions, and the commitment to make our vocal heritage accessible to singers and audiences alike are what binds the ensemble together. Vlaams Radiokoor is an institution of the Flemish Community.
Brussels Philharmonic
“The world needs symphonic music. And symphonic music needs the world.”
That is the firm belief of the Brussels Philharmonic. As a symphony orchestra founded in 1935 under the auspices of the Belgian public broadcaster, unveiling the symphonic world as best we can is deep in our DNA. By innovating while maintaining full respect for the value of the past, we keep the symphonic music of the past, present and future relevant and inspiring – for ourselves and all of society. We do this from the historic Studio 4 at Flagey in Brussels, together with our music director Kazushi Ono: he shares our open and adventurous spirit and our rock-solid belief in the need for cross-fertilization between art, life and society. Brussels Philharmonic is an institution of the Flemish Community.
18:30 streetfood
pastries La Fleur du Pain
19:15 introduction
Sander De Keere & Ilan Volkov (EN)
19:30 symfomania!
atelier for kids (10+, NL/FR)
22:00 aftertalk
Jasper Croonen, Ilan Volkov, Lawrence Power & Cassandra Miller (EN)
22:00 afterparty
Asimina Karamperopoulu (voice) & Luca Isolani (guitar)
wolfgang app
Wolfgang is a smartphone app for live classical music. While the orchestra is playing, Wolfgang shows you what is happening at the very moment in the music.
Leoš Janáček - Říkadla
I. Úvod
II.
Řípa se vdávala,
cerel pískal,
mrkev tancovala,
a křen to všecko spískal,
říkadla spískal.
Tidli, tidli, tidli.
Tidli, fidli, tidli.
Tidli, dudli, tidli!
III.
Není lepší jako z jara,
zelená se v poli tráva.
Koza leží na mezi,
nic ji ležet nemrzí.
IV.
Leze krtek podle meze,
vyměřuje louku.
Sysel za ním pytle veze,
že bude mlít mouku.
V.
Karel do pekla zajel
na bílém koni, čert ho tam honí.
Nevěděl kudy, koupil si dudy.
Nevěděl ještě, koupil si kleště.
Nevěděl nic, koupil si klíč.
VI.
Roztrhané kalhoty,
vítr do nich fouká,
budu si je zašívat;
pavouk niti souká.
VII.
Franta rasů hrál na basu,
staré krávě u ocasu.
Stará kráva byla ráda,
že má Frantu kamaráda.
VIII.
Náš pes, náš pes
zlámal ocas;
pro svojí dobrotu
strčil ho do plotu.
Náš pes! Náš pes!
zlámal ocas.
IX.
Dělám, dělám kázání,
čtyři kočky svázáný,
a pátý pes, do pece vlez,
ukrad tam topinku,
běžel s ní po rynku;
potkala ho kráva,
to byla jeho máma;
potkal ho bulíček,
to byl ten tatíček,
potkal ho bejček,
to byl ten strejček;
potkal ho hřebeček,
to byl ten dědeček.
potkala ho kozička,
to byla jeho babička!
X.
Stará bába čarovala,
z ječmene kroupy,
z prosa jáhly dělala,
to byly její čáry!
XI.
Hó, hó, krávy dó,
nesó mliko pod vodó,
nesó mliko pul židlíka.
Kde je naše jalová?
U božího kostela.
Kostel se boří, stodola hoří.
Skoč panenko do vody,
máš tam zlaté korály.
Nač bych já tam skákala,
sukýnky si máchala,
kde bych si je sušila?
U pastýřa v koutku,
na zeleném proutku.
XII.
Moje žena malučičká,
postavím ju do hrnčička;
přikryjem ju poklievičkou!
Nech úvre mi s polievčičkou!
XIII.
Bába leze do bezu,
já tam za ní polezu,
kudy bába, tudy já,
budeme tam oba dva!
XIV.
Koza bílá hrušky sbírá,
strakatá je třese.
Bílá je ponese
zítra do Kolína!
XV.
Němec brouk, hrnce tlouk,
házel jimi přes palouk,
a s palouku do louže,
šelma němec v hrdlo lže!
XVI.
Koza leží na seně,
ona se na mně směje,
chytím kozu za bradu,
povedu ji do Brodu.
V Brodě koze nemajú,
šidlem mléko jídajú,
pantokem chleba krajajú,
měchem drva štípajú!
XVII.
Vašek, pašek, bubeník,
zahnal kozy za rybník.
Kozy se mu splašily,
do vody mu skočily.
XVIII.
Frantíku, Frantíku,
dobrá kaša na mlíku,
ešče lepší na smetaně,
ale sa ti nedostane!
XIX.
Seděl medviď na kolodi,
nohaveci kraje,
Koloda sje pohinaje,
on kolodi laje.
Hop, cup, cumandra,
cumandrata moloda.
Leoš Janáček - Říkadla
I. Introduction
II.
Beetroot was getting married,
Celery played the pipe,
Carrot was dancing,
and horseradish, was to be blamed for it all,
he’s to blame for these ditties.
Tidli, tidli,
Tidli fidli,
Tidli dudli…
III.
There is no time like the Springtime,
green grows the grass in the field,
goat is lying by the hedgerow,
likes to take a rest.
IV.
Mole comes crawling along the hedgerow,
pacing out the meadow;
Hamster follows him with a barrow of sacks,
about to grind some flour.
V.
Charlie rode off to hell,
on a white horse,
the devil’s chasing him there now.
Didn’t know the way,
bought himself bagpipes.
Still no good,
bought a pair of pincers
Still no wiser,
bought himself a key
VI.
Trousers are in rags,
wind’s blowing through them,
I’m to sew them up,
spider, spin some thread.
VII.
Frankie the knacker’s lad played the bass
by the old cow’s tail.
The old cow was glad
to have Frankie for a friend.
VIII.
That dog, that dog of ours has broken his tail;
for his pains he trapped it in the fence.
Our dog! Our dog!
IX.
I give you a sermon,
four cats tied together,
the fifth a dog, climbed in the oven,
stole a piece of toast,
ran with it around the market place;
met with a cow,
that was his Mum;
met with a bullock,
that was his Dad;
met with a calf,
that was his Uncle;
met with a colt,
that was his Grandpa;
met with a goat,
that was his Grandma!
X.
The old witch was casting a spell,
made groats from barley,
from raw millet hulled seed,
such were her magic powers!
XI.
Ho, ho cows all go,
carrying their milk under water,
carrying half a jug of milk worth,
Where has our heifer gone?
Right by God’s church.
The church is falling down, the barn is burning.
Jump my lass into the water,
you’ll find gold beads there.
Why should I jump in,
and get my skirts wet,
where would I dry them?
By the shepherd’s cottage on the corner
over a green branch.
XII.
My wee little wife,
I’ll put her in the pot;
cover her with a lid,
she’ll warm up with the soup!
XIII.
The old woman has crawled into the elder tree,
I’ll crawl there after her,
wherever she goes, I go too,
and there’ll be the two of us!
XIV.
White goat gathers pears,
piebald knocks them down.
White one will carry them
to Kolin on the morrow.
XV.
A German beetle crushed the pots,
chucked them across the clearing,
and from there into the puddle,
a cunning german beetle tells lies to your face.
XVI.
Goat’s lying in the hay,
laughing at me,
I’ll catch him by the beard,
and take him to the town of Brod.
In Brod they’ve not got goats,
they sip milk with a cobbler’s awl,
slice their bread with a hatchet,
chop their wood with bellows!
XVII.
Wenceslas, the smart drummer boy,
drove his goats down to the pond.
The goats took to their heels,
and leapt into the water.
XVIII.
Frankie, Frankie,
good porridge made with milk,
even better made with cream,
but there’ll be none left for you
XIX.
Bear sat on a log cutting his trouser leg,
Log starts rolling, bear is growling,
log starts rolling, bear is growling.
Hop, hop, hoppity hop, what misery.
Hop, hop!
Hop hop! Hoppity hop, what misery!
Translation by Jaroslava Lambert
Conductor
Ilan Volkov
Soloists
Lawrence Power, alto
Vlaams Radiokoor, choir
Brussels Philharmonic
Concertmaster
Henry Raudales
Violin 1
Nadja Nevolovitsch (1), Bart Lemmens (2), Olivia Bergeot, Annelies Broeckhoven, Cristina Constantinescu, Francisco Dourthé Orrego, Sára Kovács, Justine Rigutto, Kristina Rimkeviciute, Elizaveta Rybentseva, Anton Skakun, Alissa Vaitsner, Gillis Veldeman
Violin 2
Mari Hagiwara (1), Samuel Nemtanu (1), Caroline Chardonnet,
Alexis Delporte, Aline Janeczek, Mireille Kovac, Eléonore Malaboeuf, Sayoko Mundy, Naoko Ogura, Eline Pauwels, Julien Poli, Bram Van Eenoo
Viola
Mihai Cocea (1), Griet François (2), Philippe Allard, José-Miguel Almeida Freitas, Marina Barskaya, Hélène Koerver, Agnieszka Kosakowska, Barbara Peynsaert, Stephan Uelpenich, Patricia Van Reusel
Cello
Kristaps Bergs (1), Karel Steylaerts (1), Barbara Gerarts, Julius Himmler, Inés Iglesias Walch, Sophie Jomard, Emmanuel Tondus, Elke Wynants
Double Bass
John Van Lierop (1), Elias Bartholomeus, Luzia Correia Rendeiro Vieira, Thomas Fiorini, Daniele Giampaolo, Simon Luce
Flute
Lieve Schuermans (1), Jill Jeschek (2), Sarah Miller
Oboe
Joris Van den Hauwe (1), Lode Cartrysse (2), Emily Ross
Clarinet
Danny Corstjens (1), Alvaro Ferrer Pedrajas (2), Midori Mori (2)
Bassoon
Karsten Przybyl (1), Jonas Coomans (2), Alexander Kuksa
Horn
Hans van der Zanden (1), Mieke Ailliet (2), Claudia Rigoni Luc van den Hove
Trumpet
Ward Hoornaert (1), Philippe Ranallo, Luc Sirjacques
Trombone
David Rey (1), William Foster (2), Tim Van Medegael (2)
Tuba
Jean Xhonneux (2)
Timpani
Gert François (1)
Percussion
Gert D'haese (2), Titus Franken (2), Gerrit Nulens, Stijn Schoofs,
Gideon Van Canneyt
Harp
Eline Groslot (2)
Piano
Anastasia Goldberg (2)
Organ & Celesta
Dieter Van Handenhoven (2)
(1) principal
(2) soloist
Vlaams Radiokoor
Soprano
Heleen Goeminne, Karen Lemaire, Kristien Nijs, Evi Roelants, Barbara Somers, Sarah Van Mol, Lidwien van Winckel, Chia-Fen Wu
Alto
Helena Bohuszewicz, Helen Cassano, María Gil Munoz, Eva Goudie-Falckenbach, Estelle Lefort, Lieve Mertens, Sandra Paelinck, Noëlle Schepens
Tenor
William Branston, Gunter Claessens, Ivan Goossens, Michiel Haspeslagh, Etienne Hekkers, Paul Schils, Leander van Gijsegem, Roel Willems
Bass
Conor Biggs, Kees Jan de Koning, François Heraud, Kai Rouven-Seeger, Andrés Soler Castano, Pieter Stas, Jan Van der Crabben, Harry Van der Kamp
main partners
Klara, KPMG, Nationale Loterij-meer dan spelen
festival & event partners
Belfius, Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste, Interparking, Proximus
public funding
BHG, Nationale Bank van België, Vlaamse Gemeenschap, Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie
cultural partners
AB, Bozar, Concertgebouw Brugge, DESINGEL, Flagey, Kaaitheater, Muntpunt, Passa Porta, Théatre Varia
official festival suppliers
Café Costume, Café Victor, Casada, Daniel Ost, Fruit at Work, Greenmobility, Levi Party Rental, Piano’s Maene, Ray & Jules, Thon Hotels
media partners
BRUZZ, BX1, Canvas, Clearchannel, Davidsfonds, De Standaard, Eén, La Libre, La Première, La Trois, MIVB, Musiq3, Radio 1, Ring TV, visit brussels