On the weekend of 15 and 16 July, the Walden Festival takes place in Brussels for the third time. It is a striking combination of classical, world music and jazz in a green setting. A conversation with Joost Fonteyne, artistic director.
"With the Walden Festival we present classical and contemporary music, jazz and also non-Western music in a very informal context. This is the third edition. We are looking for music lovers who take a broader view than just classical music. With us you can experience short concerts (35 to 40 minutes) in a very accessible way at fantastic locations such as the green surroundings of Leopoldpark in Brussels. Moreover, the festival takes place in and around buildings such as Solvay Library, a jewel in the crown of art deco style, but also the Lycée Jacqmain, designed by Horta, where we can use the festival hall. There are also the magnificent gardens of the Museum of Natural Sciences and the garden of the Wiertz Museum which has been renamed Citizens Garden and is operated by the European Parliament. That is a wonderfully beautiful place where you can listen to music between busts of philosophers like Plato and Socrates."
What makes Walden a typical Brussels festival?
"We have a festival that in a very organic way combines classical music with jazz, new classical and world music. We also do this from the perspective of the diversity that Brussels possesses, which means that many Brussels artists are in our programme. Brussels has a very diverse society and we want to reflect that. For example, we have the Aleph quintet, including an oud player, guitarist Julien Tassin and Brussels resident Philippe Herreweghe with his Collegium Vocale. But it is Brussels in the sense that first and foremost the locations stand out. That is a fact, and also that Brussels is one of the greenest capitals in Europe and that we can use one of those green lungs. That is typical Brussels. But I was also inspired by the WoNDeRFeeL festival in the Dutch 's-Graveland, namely to bring the look & feel of a pop festival to a festival of classical music and related genres. That is what we want to have in Brussels too and with this third edition we have come a long way."
Does the festival have a relation to Henry Thoreau's natural philosophy?
"Thoreau's book Walden contains reflections on a better society in which he has linked philosophy and musings about nature to one another. It is a cult book that still keeps appearing and we found this apt because we are also dealing with sustainability in a very effective way in the festival. We have written a sustainability charter of 7 elements. For example, all the food at the festival is completely vegetarian. It is about enjoying with respect for the surroundings, namely the surrounding area used, and giving it back as it was. We encourage both artists and the public to reduce the impact of travel. We ask artists who don't have to come from far away to come by train. In our communication too, we are as sustainable as possible in that we limit printed material to a minimum. We support a project with Bos+ where people can make donations to enable the greening of the Brussels capital by young people from disadvantaged groups. We do this together with the National Lottery. Another association of the name Walden is that with the radio programme Walden on the classical radio station Klara where we will be on air live on Saturday 15 July from 18:00 to 22:00 and Sunday 16 July from 14:00 to 20:00. "
What stands out this year?
"I am very pleased that we can present Lorenzo Gatto together with Brussels Philharmonic in the magnificent violin concerto by Philip Glass. I am also very pleased that we have pianist and composer Joep Beving from the Netherlands who appeals to a very large audience. Also the trio Joubrand with 3 Palestinian brothers who play oud (lute) and are rising stars in France. Collegium Vocale is of course fantastic to have on board. And the jazz project of Emile Parisien (soprano sax) and Vincent Peirani (accordion) is great.
Our strong point is the combination between the different genres in the setting we now have. We must absolutely keep that. Points where we want to work further are strengthening the relationship with the city of Brussels, for example by involving even more Brussels artists in the story, and sustainability. We can go much further in that, it is a work in progress that remains constantly relevant."
WHAT: Walden Festival
WHERE: Park Leopold, Brussels
WHEN: 15 and 16 July 2023
ORGANISATION: Festival van Vlaanderen Brussels
TICKETS AND INFO: www.waldenfestival.be