Les Festivals de Wallonie provide once again for a musical summer from 30 June to 13 October, with 'Utopias' as the central theme. The seven festivals shine light on artists with a special background, program music about hope and peace and give special attention to female composers and musicians. Swiss pianist Beatrice Berrut is festival artist and conveys a hopeful message for the future through her various concerts. Furthermore, Sergei Rachmaninov is also celebrated for his 150th birthday with performances of his most emblematic works. Les Festivals de Wallonie makes a flying start with musical fireworks in the first weekend of July in Brussels, Namur and Saint-Hubert!
The concerts during this opening weekend in Brussels, Namur and Saint-Hubert nicely illustrate the theme. Brussels Philharmonic presents Destins croisés under the direction of Glass Marcano, the young and talented conductor from Venezuela. On the program are works by Russian Tsjaikovski and Cuban Pérez Prado (30/06, 19u, Flagey). In Namur, Choeur de Chambre de Namur and Cappella Mediterranea under the direction of Leonardo García Alarcón bring the hopeful La Jérusalem délivrée by Philippe d'Orléans. Passionate history lovers undoubtedly know d'Orléans as Regent of France between 1715 and 1723 (30/06, 20u, Grand Manège). In Saint-Hubert, Beatrice Berrut and sisters Sylvia and Stéphanie Huang together with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège perform the extraordinary Triple Concerto by Beethoven (1/07, 20u, Basiliek).Messages of peace and hope, artists with an extraordinary background
In music, the theme of utopia can offer a reassuring answer to a changing world, think of the first libretto of The Magic Flute by Mozart (8/07, 19u, Namur). The special concert-performance La Machine à remonter Mons by Musiques Nouvelles and photographer and videographer Pierre Liebaert can also be understood in this way. This promises a true journey through time in music and image (2/10, 19u & 21u, Bergen). Utopia can also be expressed as a musical "non-existent place" (ou-topos). The ensemble Recrues d'Essences presents such a world to its listeners in an original musical journey from the Balkans to Latin America (2/07, 20u, Nassogne).
Yet the search for peace as utopia perhaps comes up most frequently in the program. Soprano Lore Binon and the ensemble Lingua Franca draw inspiration from the genius of Telemann and Bach for their concert Veillée d'armes. For humans are guilty of atrocities, but are also capable of creating the most beautiful and best (16/07, 20u, Church of Libin). The project La Terre nous est étroite follows the same line. Syrian soprano Soumaya Hallak, Belgian composer Jean-Marie Rens and pop duo Juicy let the committed poetry of Palestinian Mahmoud Darwich resound in contemporary work (4/10, 20u, Bergen).
Finally, the Namur festival also shines light on some examples of a very utopian fate in history. Django Reinhardt grew, despite a maimed hand, into a legend of jazz manouche. The ensemble Minor Swing pays him tribute during Djangolympics (1/07, 19u, Namur). The program also features another special background. Until a few years ago, Glass Marcano still sold fruit in the streets of the favelas to finance her studies. Thanks to the musical social project El Sistema, she became a conductor at age 28 and now performs all over the world. Clärenore Stinnes also receives a musical and visual tribute in Madame Vitesse. The story of one of the first female racing drivers is performed by mezzo-soprano Joëlle Charlier directed by Helene Bracke. Their new production, a creation commissioned by and for Les Festivals de Wallonie, is accessible to everyone from 8 years old and tells the story of Clärenore's car journey around the world in the early 1920s (the production is performed at various festivals).
An ode to women and Rachmaninov
The 53rd edition of the Festivals de Wallonie also gives a special place to women. First and foremost, the festival artist is none other than Beatrice Berrut, who carries the utopian as a thread through her work: "We cannot but believe in and fight for the future. If we no longer believe in the future, then we stop living." The Swiss pianist passes the torch to tomorrow's musicians during her masterclass Génération classique. She also shares her humanistic message with the cello duo Bruno Philippe (2/7, 17u, Flagey and 1-2/08, 20u, Stavelot), a recital in Charleroi (3/10, 12u30- and in Lasne (6/10, 20u) and the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie conducted by Vahan Mardirossian (4/10, 20u, Charleroi and 5/10, 20u, Bergen). Furthermore, the young promising violinist Sophie de Bardonnèche has been given carte blanche to develop a program around female Baroque composers from Italy and France (16/09, 19u, Liège).
Another not-to-be-missed red thread: the tribute to Sergei Rachmaninov, born in 1873. On the programme are his hymns from the Greek-Orthodox Byzantine liturgy performed by Adrian Sirbu, Simon-Pierre Bestion and the ensemble La Tempête (1/07, 20u30, Brussel), his well-known Trio élégiaque accompanied by works by Rameau and Sjostakovitsj by the Trio Zadig (8, 9/08, 20u, Stavelot) and his unfinished quartet, performed by the Quatuor Hermès (11, 12/08, 20u, Stavelot).