The Brussels Afternoon Concerts celebrate three-quarters of a century of existence with a genuine jubilee edition on 15 January 2022. Exactly 75 years ago, the very first Belgian Afternoon Concert took place in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. Founded following the example of the London lunch concerts, the Brussels counterpart grew into a real reference point, where great names and promising musicians always played to packed houses. Programmers Guy Van Waas and Dirk Vermeulen are bringing a fresh wind to the new season, of which JUBILE75 is the cherry on the cake: a three-part programme at two locations, featuring a varied classical piano recital, a playful six-hand piano trio and the brilliant but rarely performed Septet by Beethoven.
Three-quarters of a century of music history
The very first Afternoon Concert took place in Brussels on 15 January 1948. Inspired by its London counterpart, Sara Huysmans brought the first Belgian lunch concerts to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (KMSKB) on Brussels' Art Hill. In post-war Brussels, this bustling place was a meeting place and centre of cultural enjoyment thanks to its many museums, concert halls and parks. It was the geographical heart of the (Brussels) arts and thus an ideal location for cultural gatherings such as the lunch concerts or the Evenings of Poetry (also founded by Huysmans). Art and culture provided solace, peace and hope for people at that time.
The concerts during the lunch break (including a sandwich) became an enormous success. Soon the Afternoon Concerts grew into an attraction for great musicians. Violinists Maurice Raskin and André Gertler, but also more recently cellists Justus Grimm and Camille Thomas and pianist Abdel Rahman El Bacha are just a few of the many musicians for whom it was an honour to perform at the Afternoon Concerts. And this for an audience of all kinds seeking relaxation and beauty. Even King Boudewijn celebrated his 60th birthday with an Afternoon Concert. Current chairman of the Afternoon Concerts Bernard Fierens Gevaert also confirms the enormous success: "As a young boy, my parents already took me to the Afternoon Concerts, fantastic memories!" The Afternoon Concerts in Liège and Antwerp followed not long after, and still exist today.
"The Afternoon Concerts are celebrating their 75th anniversary, but we are certainly not old-fashioned," says Anne-Marie Saquet, board member of the Afternoon Concerts. "An hour of music in the middle of a busy working day is a wonderful way to catch your breath." The focus on chamber music and promoting Belgian ensembles has always been at the heart of the Afternoon Concerts. Young artists and composers are given a platform, but renowned musicians also gladly sacrifice their afternoon for the beauty of this project. At the same time, an alternative is offered to evening concerts. The concerts are accessible to everyone thanks to a democratic admission fee. Meanwhile, the weekly afternoon appointment moved from the KMSKB to the Museum of Musical Instruments (MIM), and is supported by an enthusiastic team of volunteers.
The organisation is also looking forward with great enthusiasm and wants to maintain tradition at the same time. Co-programmers Guy Van Waas and Dirk Vermeulen have been in charge of artistic direction since 2018 and want to breathe new life into the lunch concerts. "After the forced break during the pandemic, we spontaneously decided to overhaul the programming and bring a fresh wind to the Afternoon Concerts… and it's working quite well," smiles Dirk Vermeulen contentedly. With a more adventurous and broader programme, they want to attract a younger, more diverse audience. In spring 2023, you can visit the MIM every Thursday for, among other things, accordion with the award-winning Sara Salverius, jazz with the Erik Vermeulen Trio and Debussy with the Tana Quartet. The closing concert of the season features the candidates from the Queen Elisabeth Competition singing 2023 on stage.
JUBILE75: three cheers!
The Afternoon Concerts celebrate their 75th anniversary with a big celebration on 15 January 2023. Under the fitting name JUBILE75, the organisation invites the curious and regular listeners to three concerts at the MIM and the KMSKB. The programmers devised a colourful programme with a sublime piano recital, a six-hand piano trio and a musical retrospective of a rarely played piece performed by a specially assembled ensemble.
The day opens at 11 o'clock at the MIM with Jozef De Beenhouwer as an incomparable pianist of 19th-century repertoire - and former programmer of the Afternoon Concerts. He brings beautiful works by Clara and Robert Schumann, Brahms, Chopin and the Belgian Lodewijk Mortelmans. The young orchestre de poche MNM Trio continues the festivities at 2.30 p.m. The six-hand piano trio Myriam Ayari, Matthieu Normand and Nicolas Collinet bring arrangements from the great orchestral repertoire, such as Jean-Marie Rens, Bach, Saint-Saëns and Piazzolla. The day concludes at the KMSKB with a retrospective of the very first concert in 1948. The same - very rarely performed - Septet for strings and winds in E flat opus 20 by Beethovenis performed by seven top musicians who exceptionally take the stage together. All seven, brought together by Vermeulen and Van Waas, have a personal connection to the Afternoon Concerts. After the concert, there is a reception and a toast to this special jubilee.
JUBILE75 promises to be a festive and musical birthday celebration. A retrospective of a beautiful history and a celebration of chamber music in all its forms.
DATE: 15 January 2023
PROGRAMME:
11:00 — Piano recital | MIM | € 10 (under 26: € 5 / subscription: free)
14:30 — MNM Trio | MIM | € 10 (under 26: € 5 / subscription: free )
16:00 — Beethoven | KMSKB | € 20 (under 26: € 10)