Shostakovitch’s Festive Overture has become a standard element in the orchestral repertoire. Thanks to its lively tempo and musical theme, it is considered an ideal concert overture. Sergej Rachmaninoff’s 3rd Concerto, with its demanding technical and musical nature, is one of the most difficult pieces of music. This, however, did not prevent our laureate from enchanting the public with his competence.

The Nutcracker is a timeless and splendid example of classical dance. One cannot but be touched when listening to the evocation of the transformation of a wooden puppet into a handsome prince.
The Caprice espagnol interprets various folkloric tunes which Piotr Illich Tchaikowski had heard during his stay in Spain.

The solo performer Liebrecht Vanbeckevoort (24 years old) started to play the piano when he was still a boy and later on took music classes in different foreign countries. In 2007 he was Laureate of the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition and won various special prizes. Presently, he is known on an international level.

Lei Wang graduated from the well-known conservatory of Shanghai. She performed with various orchestras, conducted by amongst others Mstislav Rostropovitch and Seiji Ozawa. In 2002, she won the violin competition Vieuxtemps.


Solo performers:
Liebrecht VANBECKEVOORT: piano (Laureate Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition 2007)
Lei WANG: violin
Musical direction: Rik GHESQUIERE
Organisator: Lions Club Oostkamp

from http://www.bpho.be

Bolero van het afscheid

21-02-2009 - The Bolero van het Afscheid, Luc Brewaeys’ combination of Haydn’s 45th Symphony and Ravel’s Bolero, both starts and ends with exactly the same number of musicians. At a given moment, however, only one percussionist is left on stage.
This visual and musical experience is brought to us by the Limburgs Orkest Jeugd en Muziek during the Klara 4 Kids festival.

[Bolero van het afscheid - presented by the Limburgs Orkest Jeugd en Muziek and conducted by Rik Ghesquière. Production: Dirk Opstaele. Composition: Luc Brewaeys. Klara 4 Kids, 2009]

VRT 2009 - Klara.be

The proceeds from this traditional charity concert, organised by two Rotary Clubs from our coast, go to good causes.

The organ of the church of Koksijde, used for Saint-Saëns’ symphony, will add an extra dimension to the entire performance.

Both solo perfomers are of Belgian origin:
Liebrecht Vanbeckevoort (24 years old) started to play the piano when he was still a boy and later on took music classes in different foreign countries. In 2007 he was Laureate of the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition and won various special prizes. Presently, he is known on an international level.

The 31 years old talented organ player has a repertory marked by its extensiveness and the fact that it covers all eras.

Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Rik GHESQUIERE
Piano: Liebrecht VANBECKEVOORT (finalist Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition)
Organisation: ROTARY CLUB DIKSMUIDE-WESTKUST NIEUWPOORT-WESTHOEK

Haydn’s 45th Symphony, Ravel’s Boléro and Brewaeys’ Shadows with Melodies are the connecting thread of the Bolero van het Afscheid. During the first part of Haydn’s Symphony the musicians one by one start leaving the stage. It is widely accepted that this refers to the original players, who at some point left the orchestra to go back to their families, from which they had been separated for too long. Some musicologists, however, believe that Haydn had in fact composed a second work that started with two violinists, which were reinforced progressively by the rest of the orchestra. Unfortunately, this second work is nowhere to be found. This is why Jeugd en Muziek Vlaanderen chose Ravel’s Boléro, a piece of music which starts with one single percussionist who is gradually followed by the rest of the musicians. Since the orchestra in Haydn’s symphony is clearly smaller than the one at the end of the Boléro, Brewaeys composed an overture with as much musicians as needed at the end of the Boléro. The result is a concert which starts with the same number of musicians it ends with. But Brewaeys wouldn’t be Brewaeys if he hadn’t any surprise in store for his public…

Shadows with Melodies (2008) was composed by order of Jeugd en Muziek Vlaanderen to be part of a ‘staged’ concert together with Haydn’s Farewell Symphony and Ravel’s Boléro. The basic principle of this work is the following: Haydn’s Symphony starts during the last part of Shadows with Melodies and at the end of the symphony, the percussionist starts playing the first times of the Boléro. Brewaeys thus had the honour of composing an oeuvre for a large orchestra (as in the Boléro), which was progressively reduced to a smaller one, containing only the necessary number of musicians for Haydn’s Symphony.

The work starts with an enormous tutti and after this introduction, several melodic fragments are interpreted by different combinations of instruments. At certain moments some musicians leave the stage and - as indicated by the word “shadows” in the title of the work - continue playing backstage.

The piece of music is dedicated to Dirk Opstaele, the director of this concert with whom Brewaeys composed his first (chamber)opera Antigone, 17 years ago.

(based on http://oorgetuige.skynetblogs.be)

Bomvolle Sint-Romboutskathedraal
"850 luisteraars en 400 uitvoerders… Zoals in de grote dagen van weleer zat die prachtige gotische kathedraal, wonder van de Brabantse gotiek, nog eens afgeladen vol met een muisstil publiek. Een verzameling koren, het Brussels Symphonic Orchestra, de beiaardiers Eddy Mariën en Carl Van Eyndhoven, twee solozangers en de hoogbegaafde trompettist Andrei Kavalinski lieten zich door een fel begeesterde dirigent, Rik Ghesquière leiden door niet alleen Het Bronzen Hart maar ook door een Concerto Grosso van Feremans en het Concerto voor Trompet en Orkest van Marinus De Jong."

De uitvoering "... Doe maar eens na wat de dirigent presteerde! Amateurs, jonge instrumentisten en vrijwilligers in een absolute balans doen musiceren….”
"Naar de koren, en zeker de kinderkoren (waar we er veel te weinig van hebben) is er maar een woord: bravo!"

"De volgende avond luisterde een bijna even vol gelopen Kristus Koningkerk in Antwerpen naar hetzelfde programma met een vergelijkbaar succes en ook hier afgesloten met het magistrale, plechtige en meest waardevolle nationale lied dat de Nederlanden rijk zijn, Het Gebed Voor Het Vaderland op muziek van Gaston Feremans en tekst van Remy Pirijns.
Greet Samyn en Johanna Van De Heyden van Klara, de klassieke muziekomroep die zijn medewerking verleende, presenteerden op professionele en warm sympathieke wijze het geheel..."

“…openbarend was het letterlijk uit de papiermand geredde Concerto voor Trompet en Orkest van De Jong. De trompettist Kavalinski tilde het naar de hoogste regionen en maakte er meteen een repertoriumstuk van met internationale allure. Wat een getalenteerde jongeman toch! Dit is een trompettist niveau Mertens of Maurice André. Zo iemand moet uit het orkest en op de wereldwijde podia. Objectief muzikaal het absolute hoogtepunt van de avond…”

(uit Klassiekcentraal / den Brabo door Ludwig Van Mechelen/KC - 16.10.07)