Léon Pétré, a great musician and pedagogue of the previous generation, is celebrating a birthday.
On Friday 27 January 2023 this trumpet player turns 80.
He earned his stripes in early music but explored the landscape of New Music equally well. As a teacher he trained well-known musicians such as Manu Mellaerts, Leo Wouters and Benny Wiame, … In his spare time he has been committed for 45 years to a brass band from Rummen that grew into Brassband Haspengouw. Under the direction of Hans Wuestenberg they perform a beautiful programme on Sunday 29 January 2023 at 3 p.m. in the basilica of Tongeren.
80 years back …
Actually his father wanted little Léon to study violin, but through tricks of fate, Léon Pétré has sold his soul to the trumpet. And actually it was even intended that he would become a doctor. While he studied medicine in Leuven for six years, he achieved - il faut le faire - first prizes in music theory, harmony, music history, … and trumpet at the Brussels Conservatoire. He definitely put aside the white doctor's coat when he began to commute regularly between Sint-Truiden and Paris to refine his trumpet technique with the legendary Maurice André.
Concert life
Léon Pétre was one of the pioneers in the revival of early music by being the first in Flanders to bring back the natural trumpet without valves to the attention of the public. His colleague Theo Mertens, who dismissed this new development laughingly as 'something for antiquarians', turned out to be completely wrong. In the 1970s and 1980s Léon Pétré collaborated with renowned ensembles such as Collegium Instrumentale Brugense, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra or La Petite Bande. Of historical significance are the recordings of the Messe in H-Moll and the Weihnachtsoratorium by Bach by Collegium Vocale under the direction of Philippe Herreweghe in which Léon Pétré played the trumpet part (Virgin Classics). Besides his pioneering work in early music, he explored the other end of the spectrum with the ensembles De Nieuwe Muziekgroep by Mark Michaël De Smet and the Xenakis ensemble under the direction of the master himself. For a while he worked for public broadcasting on commission from Leonce Gras.
Inspirer
Thank you for being at the beginning of my career, you
who shaped me into the trumpet player I am now…
who shaped me into the teacher I am now…
who shaped me into the person I am now..
Mieke De Meyer, 21 January 2023.
With great dedication Léon Pétre has taught throughout his entire musician's life at the music schools of Sint-Truiden and Diest, the Antwerp Conservatoire and the Lemmensinstituut in Leuven. From his class come among others Manu Mellaerts, Leo Wouters, Benny Wiame, Ward Hoornaert and Rik Ghesquière... When some of his protégés encounter technical or artistic problems in their performance practice, they can still turn to their coach, who cherishes them.
But perhaps the most wonderful thing in the career of this inspiring man is that in 1978 he was asked by chance to help out a modest village brass band from Rummen, which was in dire straits and without a conductor. And that he wielded the conductor's baton there for 45 years and built the band into the Brassband Haspengouw, respected both at home and abroad. Perhaps it is typical of the HaFaBra world, but if he truly believes in someone, that person gets Leon's full attention, even free lessons. The fact that he always treats his musicians, including the amateurs, with the greatest respect is perhaps an important secret ingredient to the success of taking his musicians away from under the church tower.
On Friday 20 January the band honoured its founder-conductor with a gala concert "A Tribute to Léon" under the direction of Hans Wuestenberg. On Sunday 29 January at 3 p.m. Brassband Haspengouw performs with a similar programme in the Basilica of Tongeren, with on the programme among others
Edward Elgar: Nimrod
Philip Sparke: Song for Ina
Otto Schwarz: Last Call
John Williams: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
