From June 19 to 21, Oostende will be the setting for the third edition of the Flow Midsummer Night Polyphony Festival, a unique event centered on polyphony organized by Dionysos Now! in collaboration with De Grote Post. The festival aims not only to let this rich musical tradition resound, but also to connect it with contemporary questions, other art forms and new perspectives.
Polyphony is one of the most beautiful musical achievements of the Renaissance. Composers such as Adriaen Willaert, Jacobus Clemens non Papa and many others created music in which different voices move independently and yet form a harmonious whole. This music forms the starting point of the festival, but certainly not the endpoint.
Over three days, Flow brings a varied programme of concerts, lectures, discussions and meetings at various locations in Oostende. Lovers of early music can enjoy the pure polyphonic sounds of Dionysos Now! in The Legacy of Adriaen Willaert, while the Delle Donne Consort shows how music from the Renaissance can still sound surprisingly relevant today.
The festival also actively seeks dialogue with other musical worlds. Syrian violinist and composer Shalan Alhamwy brings a programme around the Gruuthuse manuscript, in which music and words meet each other. Later in the day, Dionysos Now! and pianist Jef Neve join forces for a special concert in which Pierre de la Rue's and Jacob Obrecht's legacy and the tradition of polyphonic mass engage in conversation with improvisation and contemporary reflection on war and peace.
In addition to the concerts, the festival offers room for deepening knowledge. During the Tore Talks, musicians and artists discuss creativity, tradition and innovation with each other. The Pact Debate, in turn, explores the relationship between polyphony, democracy and philosophy. On Sunday, Kurt Van Eeghem shares stories about Oostende's musical history during an aperitif conversation.
Visitors to the festival do not need to be specialists in early music. Flow appeals equally to curious listeners who want to discover a fascinating musical world and to seasoned lovers of Renaissance polyphony. The combination of concerts, discussions and meetings makes the festival an invitation not only to listen to music, but also to experience and discover it.
With its mix of historical music, contemporary reflection and artistic cross-pollination, the Flow Midsummer Night Polyphony Festival demonstrates how lively and relevant polyphony can still be today. For those staying in Oostende in June or planning a cultural outing, this festival is undoubtedly a special opportunity to rediscover one of Europe's richest musical traditions.