Opera Ballet Vlaanderen cherishes a warm tradition of chamber music and small recitals in diverse formats. This season too we bring a series of chamber music concerts but with a new twist.
This season we let the different artistic groups working together within our house shine separately or in surprising combinations. String players, brass players, pianists, choir, children's choir, dancers,... The great and diverse artistic wealth we have in-house gets its own moment in the spotlight during this series of concerts.
During these concerts the audience encounters well-known musical works by among others Antonín Dvořák, Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. But we also provide some musical surprises. The concerts thus not only appeal to our loyal fans but are equally accessible to a broad audience that wants to get to know the different artistic talents in the OBV universe. In June we conclude the series with a recital full of arias and songs around the season's theme of Longing.
The concerts taking place on Friday, Saturday or Sunday begin either at 7 pm or at 5 pm depending on the location. After the concert the audience can linger in the foyer with a complimentary drink and meet our musicians.In short: self-indulgence to start or end the weekend.
The series comprises ten concerts. Below you'll find more information about the first five concerts for your calendar. Information about the other five concerts will follow later or can be found at operaballet.be.
Strings XL
Spotlight on the house string players for an alternately lyrical and energetic opening concert full of Slavic music. Via Dvořák's thoroughly romantic Serenade and the late-romantic sounds of Janáček's Suite for strings we navigate to the vibrant modernism of Martinů and Janáček's pupil Pavel Haas. A Czech get-together indeed!
Serenade for strings in E flat, opus 22 by Antonín Dvořák and works for string orchestra by Leoš Janáček, Bohuslav Martinů and Pavel Haas.
String players of the Symphonic Orchestra Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, concertmaster Kristie Su
Opera Gent
Sat 29 October at 7 pm
Opera Antwerpen
Sun 30 October at 5 pm
From Folk Poetry
Folk art and folklore were grateful sources of inspiration for both Romanticism and Modernism. From the folk gems in Mahler's Wunderhorn-Lieder via Szymanowski's ethnically inspired Songs from the Carpathian Woods to gripping Jewish sounds in Shostakovich's cycle From Jewish Folk Poetry: all music in this concert blends a folk accent with artistic refinement.
Wunderhorn-Lieder (selection) by Gustav Mahler & songs by Johannes Brahms and Karol Szymanowski
Song cycle From Jewish Folk Poetry by Dmitri Shostakovich
Drei Fantasiestücke, opus 73 by Robert Schumann (version for viola and piano)
Singers of the Choir Opera Ballet Vlaanderen
Eline Brys, piano
Opera Antwerpen
Fri 25 Nov at 7 pm
Opera Gent
Sun 27 Nov at 8 pm
Romantic Piano Trio
'On wings I want to carry you, / On wings, love, of my song', thus wrote Heinrich Heine. It sounds like the dreamed-of characterization of the lyrically generous Second Piano Trio by Franz Schubert, which lifts the listener from the earth to higher spheres. This monumental work is accompanied by the intimate and rarely performed Piano Trio by Clara Schumann.
Piano Trio in g, opus 17 by Clara Schumann
Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat, D 929 by Franz Schubert
Andraste piano trio: Maximilian Lohse, violin, Jadranka Gasparovic, cello, Geert Callaert, piano
Opera Gent
Fri 2 Dec at 7 pm
Opera Antwerpen
Sun 4 Dec at 5 pm
A Ceremony of Carols
The Children's Choir of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen puts us in a Christmas mood with the classic A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten and a gripping cantata that Kurt Bikkembergs, celebrated choir conductor, has written specially for the young voices of the house: Historia Nativitatis Domini Nostri Iesu Christi (2018)
Opera Gent
Wed 21 Dec at 5 pm
Tue 27 Dec at 7 pm
Mozart vs Brahms
Two crown jewels from the German-Austrian repertoire. With his String Quintet, KV 516, in the dramatic key of g, Mozart pushed the boundaries of 18th-century chamber music, which had long been merely entertaining. Brahms resolutely followed in this footstep when he wrote his introspective and 'unworldly' Clarinet Quintet. Music to savour lovingly.
String Quintet No. 3 in g, KV 516 by W. A. Mozart
Clarinet Quintet in b, opus 115 by Johannes Brahms
Musicians of the Symphonic Orchestra Opera Ballet Vlaanderen
Opera Gent
Fri 13 January at 7 pm
Opera Antwerpen
Sun 15 January at 5 pm
Information
Opera Ballet Vlaanderen
Tickets: €8