Jelle Dierickx, artistic director of the Festival van Vlaanderen Mechelen / Kempen presents his first season. At 40 years old, this top musicologist is a hard worker who commutes professionally between Mechelen and Berlin. The concept of his predecessor Veerle Declerck 'Mechelen hoort stemmen' was a successful formula.
The spring festival continues to focus on the human voice. It is not just about beautiful songs and voices, but about everything that the speaking, singing, hesitating, very loud or very quiet human voice has to offer. He chose a new name 'LUNALIA' with a strong Mechelen connection. The name refers to the Mechelen legend of the moon extinguishers (Luna) and to the fascinating universe of the lied and the human voice (lia). His approach is to let the audience discover new things: new instruments, unknown music, young promising singers and musicians, alongside more experienced colleagues. Complex, but also not too extravagant.
Opening celebration
A beautiful day in early spring with summer temperatures. A welcome surprise. Thus the opening celebration had a fantastic start. The good weather attracted thousands of visitors to Mechelen. Through thirteen vocal concerts at historic Mechelen locations, music lovers could taste what LUNALIA has to offer from 14:00 to 17:00 free of charge. The program featured diverse genres and artists such as theremin virtuoso Carolina Eyck, the Octopus Kamerkoor, Mélinée, Bart Naessens and Amaryllis Dieltiens.
The LUNALIA team describes it as 30% musical Mechelen, 30% discovery journey and 40% family outing. The energy of the city combined with music is a successful match. An ideal opportunity to introduce both old and young to what music has to offer. The different locations received a new audience every half hour. They emptied only to fill up again with a mix of regulars of the Festival van Vlaanderen Mechelen and curious newcomers.
Opening concert in the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-aan-de-Dijlekerk
Mayor Bart Somers was present and called LUNALIA Mechelen's flagship in his welcome speech. He described the core of civilization as the pursuit of the good, beauty and justice. Mechelen can look back on 500 years of tradition in these three components when humanists gathered there to consult. As far as the pursuit of beauty is concerned, Mechelen also scores here with the polyphonists. As for justice: law has been administered here for centuries. Mechelen, a city of art, culture and justice tout court: civilization.
'LUNALIA' opens officially with a concert in the form of a full moon. This image is inventively played out in the evening-filling opening concert within a unique concept in the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-over-de-Dijlekerk. The interior of the church forms the visual stimulus: it has something luxuriant and is promising. This decor is cleverly used with a sense of composition and color. One element of the altarpiece is highlighted: a sphere = full moon. The concert brings together artists such as Carolina Eyck, Natascha Nikeprevelic, Octopus Kamerkoor and Capriola Di Gioia in a concert with a special setup, directed by artist Maja Jantar.
Audience and artists surround each other for a special listening experience. A square setup has been chosen. This represents the earthly, the repetitive nature of everyday life. The soloists move through the four sides, the existence that we must explore from all sides. The audience finds their eyes and ears short to place and perceive everything.
Concert starts with sounds by American composer Philip Glass
Flutists Karin De Fleyt and Carla Rees engage in dialogue, standing directly opposite each other in the designated space in the middle of the church and play 'Piece in the shape of a square'. A repetitive, minimalist work that resonates beautifully in the gigantic space.
Following is a work by 19th-century Austrian composer Anton Bruckner. The deep tones of the brass players contrast nicely with the thin tones of the flutes. The musicians are positioned hidden in the side aisle. It takes a moment to figure out where the music is coming from.
The Octopus Kamerkoor under the direction of Bart Van Reyn, positioned in the choir at the front, joins in with the beautiful 'Locus Iste' in which reverence for the house of God is central. The action then moves to the pulpit where Natasha Nikeprelevic with her exceptional vocal technique, which allows her to produce two or more sounds simultaneously: a supporting tone above which she articulates other sounds, amazes the listeners. Then it is time again for a work by Bruckner, which is performed very sensitively by the Octopus Kamerkoor.
Again at another place in the church, Carolin Eyck, theremin and voice, claims attention. Theremin is an electronic musical instrument played by varying the distance between the hands and two antennas. The player does not touch the instrument. Magical music through vibrations in the air. The Octopus Kamerkoor follows again with a work by Italian Ennio Morricone 'The Ecstacy of Gold'. Anton Bruckner is something of a common thread throughout the concert. Dull drum rolls echo, it has something ominous. The drums are mounted on a mobile. Slowly this moves through the church, creating a stereo effect. There follows not a Locus Iste but an Ave Maria. In the motet, male and female voices are united.
The concert concludes with a work by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, a beautiful piece for soprano Griet De Geyter and organ. Mother and child are also the theme in 'Sarah was ninety years old' In 1977 the composer had to name the work Modus due to the strict atheistic stance of the Soviet authorities. However, it musically recounts the fate of Sarah, who at her ninetieth year bears a child for Abraham. Both the number of years and the bearing resonate in the music. A beautiful final chord for an intriguing concert. Musicians, choir and soloists are figural elements in the whole, but as individual personalities each with their own talent and story. A concert testifying to collective energy and a colorful mosaic of voices.
The new artistic director of the Festival van Vlaanderen Mechelen / Kempen, Jelle Dierickx, has immediately made his mark on LUNALIA. This concert is a total experience, a blend of classical and contemporary, restrained versus extrovert, voice versus instrument, number versus soloist, piquant alongside serene, forte alongside pianissimo. Strongly rhythmic and meandering, exhilarating, vital and emotional.
The whole takes place in diffuse light. Occasionally a beautiful corner of the church is illuminated in bright colors. Looking around in the monolith of white stone in Brabantine gothic, you experience more or less, through the whimsical lighting, the play of light and shadow, how people in earlier times must have experienced the grandeur of this building and their insignificance.
The Opening Festival is merely the beginning of a two-week LUNALIA, with concerts almost daily between 21 April and 6 May 2018. Numerous international artists come to Mechelen such as Sigrid Hausen, Amarcord, Marco Beasley, Graindelavoix and Chamber Choir Ireland.- WHAT: LUNALIA
- ORGANIZATION: Festival van Vlaanderen Mechelen
- WHERE & WHEN: from 21 April to 6 May 2018, various locations in Mechelen
- WEBSITE: LUNALIA [embed]https://youtu.be/QyoJox63Bn8[/embed]