Chief conductor Stéphane Denève bids farewell to 'his' Brussels Philharmonic after seven years. On Thursday 30 June, he conducted his last concert as music director of the orchestra at Flagey.
For his (sold-out) farewell concert, Denève invited the Vlaams Radiokoor and star cellist Gautier Capuçon, and put together a personal programme, with music by the Belgian Joseph Jongen, contemporary work by Guillaume Connesson and as the 'grande finale' Daphnis & Chloé by Maurice Ravel.
The French conductor is moving on to his next challenge in the US, where he will focus on his earlier position as music director of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Denève is succeeded by Kazushi Ono, who takes over the baton in September 2022 as music director of Brussels Philharmonic.
"In the DNA of Brussels Philharmonic is not only a rich history as a historic radio orchestra, with many premieres to its name, but also a wilfulness and versatility. I love this orchestra that is so flexible and open-minded - as fascinating and cosmopolitan as the city of Brussels!"
Stéphane Denève