deSingel International Arts Campus

1907... After the Party - Belgisch paviljoen - Internationale Architectuurbiënnale Venetië 2008

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

maandag 15 september 2008 - zondag 23 november 2008

Architectuur tento - deSingel is responsible for the content of the Belgian pavilion at the eleventh international architecture in Venice, whose artistic director is the American Aaron Betsky and whose theme is 'Out There. Architecture Beyond Building'. The curator Moritz Küng has organised a competition between the thirteen architects from the '35m³ young architects' exhibitions, giving them the brief to generate a work of temporary architecture that can be physically experienced, on a 1:1 scale, that defines the setting of the Belgian pavilion as a critical mass. The jury of international architects - including Petra Blaisse (Amsterdam), Mike Guyer (Zürich) and Anne Lacaton (Paris) - selected the project by the Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen firm from Brussels. Their radical-looking proposal, entitled 'After the party', is an affectionate tribute to the pavilion, which was built in 1907 (the first international pavilion in the Giardini) and evokes a mock sentimental recollection of a party that never took place, celebrating the centenary of the pavilion. The exhibition in the pavilion also includes all the other competition entries, by BARAK, BAVO, Kristoffel Boghaert, Dessauvage & Mohammadi, Jan De Vylder architects, D'haeseleer & Kimpe & Poelaert, Jo Taillieu, noA.architects, noumenon, NU architecture studio, URA architects and Van Belle & Medina (Antwerp), together with a photo by the German artist Thomas Demand.

Masterclasses . Irwin Gage - UITGESTELD! - Irwin Gage presenteert jonge lieduo's

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

vrijdag 21 november 2008 - zondag 23 november 2008

Muziek - Lied - PLEASE NOTE! NOTE: For organisational reasons, these master-classes cannot take place between 21 and 23 November. They have been postponed till later in the season. Irwin Gage is one of today's most important Lieder accompanists. Following a successful career as a pianist alongside such great Lieder performers as Gundula Janowitz and Brigitte Fassbaender, Gage will now devote himself entirely to teaching and so pass on his knowledge to the youngest generation of Lieder performers. For three days Gage will work with six young duos on Lieder by Schubert and Schoenberg.

William Forsythe . Koninklijk Ballet van Vlaanderen - Impressing the Czar

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

woensdag 19 november 2008 - zaterdag 22 november 2008

Dans - This 1988 ballet in five parts is known as one of Forsythe's 'oeuvres-phare', in which he uses dance to comment on the medium itself. It incorporates an abundance and diversity of genres and styles ranging from ballet on points to breakdance, from amazing technical dance highlights to hilarious written passages. It is a wild parody on classical ballet as performed at the Czar's court. In three acts Forsythe reveals the conventions of the great classics ('Potemkins Unterschrift'), the heart of virtuoso ballet dancing ('In the middle, somewhat elevated') and the fall of our cultural heritage ('La Maison de Mezzo-Prezzo'). This is followed by a tribal dance with a thumping rhythm ('Bongo Bongo Nageela'). The woolly 'maître de plaisir', Mr. Pnut, brings the work to the finale ('Mr. Pnut goes to the top'). The first performance of this sparkling dance spectacle performed by the Royal Ballet of Flanders was at deSingel three years ago. The company's new artistic director, Kathryn Bennetts, was a close associate of the choreographer for many years. Having completed several successful international tours the work will now be returning to deSingel. A real treat!

Festival à la russe - Ballets Russes Dayna Goldfine & Dan Geller, 2005

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

maandag 24 november 2008 - maandag 24 november 2008

Kunstcampus - During the 'Festival à la russe', the Antwerp Conservatory will be presenting talks and films that provide some background to the life and work of composers such as Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich. This is a unique opportunity for you to prepare even better for our series on Stravinsky! Free admission to all these activities for deSingel audiences. Information: jan.dewilde@artesis.be

Cursus Amarant . Vrouwelijke componisten . GEANNULEERD - Dochters van Erato

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

maandag 6 oktober 2008 - maandag 24 november 2008

Kunstcampus - Surveys of music history devote little space to women as composers. At best they are dealt with as side issues or as 'the less talented sister or wife of the great composer X'. So it's high time we shed some light on the life and work of these ladies and put them into context as fully-fledged artists. Information and enrolment: www.amarant.be

Workshop Tim Vets

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

dinsdag 25 november 2008 - dinsdag 25 november 2008

Kunstcampus - Students of composition, jazz and instruments at the Conservatory and students from PoPOK (postgraduate performing arts) will be taking part in a workshop on the interaction between technology, installations and synthesizers. And you can come and listen to the results.

Cursussen . August De Groote - Het volmaakte vocale oeuvre van J.S. Bach

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

dinsdag 25 november 2008 - dinsdag 16 december 2008

Kunstcampus - The Universiteit Vrije Tijd Davidsfonds is organising a course with musical illustrations given by August De Groote. Participants will receive a discount for the concert in the Highdays series by the Nederlandse Bachvereniging on 18th December 2008. standard price Teachers' ticket €41 / €38; Davidsfonds members €35 Price including the Weihnachtsoratorium concert p. 151 Teachers' ticket €74 / €71; Davidsfonds members €68 information +32 (0)16 31 06 70 www.universiteitvrijetijd.be

Irwin Gage . jonge liedduo's #2

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

woensdag 26 november 2008 - woensdag 26 november 2008

Muziek - Lied - Another song duo from Irwin Gage's class that we do not want you to miss out on! The young baritone Richard Burkhard and pianist Edward Rushton are astonishing young men. When we heard them for the first time in Martin's 'Sechs Monologue aus Jedermann' we held our breath from start to finish. It was a bloodcurdling interpretation of an enormously demanding score. Martin's 'Monologue' and other twentieth-century song cycles are the main focus in this programme, which has been intelligently devised around the themes of Spain and the War. In his song cycle 'A Shropshire Lad', the English composer George Butterworth describes how young men perished for their country. Something that he himself, ironically enough, did during the battle of the Somme in 1916. The song cycle by Edward Rushton, who is also the singer, is based on old Spanish texts that reflect upon the insanity of war and its violence. Towards the end, the programme takes on a much lighter tone with Don Quichotte's raging about the war, which is mainly in his own mind. Ravel's ironic comments are voiced through a variety of Spanish dance rhythms. To finish, they perform a rousing old drinking song with an extremely tipsy baritone!

Cursus Amarant . De geschiedenis van de opera van Monteverdi tot Mozart (1600-1800) - Opera en waarachtigheid: een cultuurhistorisch overzicht van de kunst der emotie

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

donderdag 25 september 2008 - donderdag 4 december 2008

Kunstcampus - Of all artistic disciplines, opera is undoubtedly the most rich and complex. No other genre can boast such a distinct cross-fertilisation between music, singing, theatre, architecture and dance. On this course we look at the historical evolution of opera as a consequence of constantly changing social, political and aesthetic ideas. Information and enrolment: www.amarant.be

Orchestre des Champs-Elysées & Collegium Vocale Gent . Philippe Herreweghe

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

donderdag 27 november 2008 - donderdag 27 november 2008

Muziek - Hoogdagen - During his stay in London in 1790, Haydn came into remarkably close contact with the oratorios of Handel. So the story goes, he received an oratorio libretto in London that was originally meant for Handel. This libretto was later reworked by Baron Gottfried van Swieten and became 'Die Schöpfung'. Van Swieten was a fervent admirer of Handel and Haydn and played a substantial in the creation of Haydn's grand oratorio. While working on 'Die Schöpfung' Haydn felt increasingly emotionally drawn to the themes it dealt with. In the winter of 1798, he even hired an apartment in the centre of Vienna in order to continuously consult with Van Swieten. The result of this unique cooperation is an astoundingly strong oratorio, with great musical variation, so that the whole of Viennese classical knowledge is synthesized in the one and a half hours the piece lasts. Haydn's fears that the Viennese would be disenchanted with his new work were unfounded. Within a year after its triumphant première at the Schwarzenberger Palace, the piece had effortlessly conquered Europe.

Dave St-Pierre - La pornoghaphie des âmes

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

vrijdag 28 november 2008 - zaterdag 29 november 2008

Dans - Meet Dave St-Pierre, a newcomer to deSingel who immediately takes over the big stage with fourteen performers. And does so very successfully! This young dancer and choreographer, born in Quebec, is sometimes referred to as Pina Bausch's pornographic son. He opens your eyes and shows you life as it is, in all its simplicity and complexity. His performances are brimming with passion and daring. 'La pornographie des âmes' is the first part of a trilogy on human relationships in what Dave St-Pierre describes as 'a hymn to mankind, a celebration of his beauty and ugliness, his depth and superficiality'. It sweeps the audience along in a sparkling, grand spectacle in which the performers leave few taboos untouched. They personify the terrible grief at the passing of a loved one and in this speak a universal language that will definitely capture your heart. A highly vigorous, confrontational, physical dance performance..

Masterclasses . Richard Goode - piano

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

zaterdag 29 november 2008 - zondag 30 november 2008

Muziek - Lied - The master pianist Richard Goode will begin his residency in deSingel with an intensive two-day public master-class with six pianists. Its content will extend beyond questions of technique and touch. Goode will focus on teaching students to listen to the music as well as understanding the composer's ideas.

deFilharmonie . James MacMillan

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

zaterdag 29 november 2008 - zaterdag 29 november 2008

Muziek - Stravinsky Symfonisch - Sitting slumped in your seat is not something you do during a concert of music by the Scottish composer James MacMillan. The public adores his whirling performances. His most popular work by far, the concerto for percussion and orchestra, 'Veni, veni, Emmanuel', has been programmed more than three hundred times. In his musical idiom he remains true to his Scottish origins and Catholic faith. He pours his predilection for Celtic folk music along with influences from Oriental, Scandinavian and Eastern-European music into a single vessel. 'The Berserking' is MacMillan at his musical best: a musical tussle between piano and orchestra. In the middle section we are able to catch our breath between the evocative Celtic folk melodies, but in the third section piano and orchestra join forces and go into battle. As a conductor, MacMillan is an excellent advocate of his own music. In the works of Stravinsky he pays tribute to one of his musical examples. He selects two works written in America, the Concerto in D and Variations, one in memory of Stravinsky's neighbour, Aldous Huxley.

Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen - Rach 3

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

zondag 30 november 2008 - zondag 30 november 2008

Verhuur -

Projectweek Conservatorium Antwerpen - L' Esprit Messiaen

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

maandag 1 december 2008 - maandag 1 december 2008

Kunstcampus -

Masterclass orgel olv. Louis Robillard

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

maandag 1 december 2008 - dinsdag 2 december 2008

Kunstcampus -

Olivier Messiaen: La vie terrestre et l' éternité bienheureuse

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

dinsdag 2 december 2008 - zaterdag 6 december 2008

Kunstcampus -

Richard Goode - Beethovens sonate Opus 81A 'Das Lebewohl'

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

dinsdag 2 december 2008 - dinsdag 2 december 2008

Muziek - Piano - Richard Goode, who is one of the greatest living pianists, will be visiting deSingel for five days to give public master-classes and one talk before his recital. In his lecture-recital he will play and analyse one of his favourite Beethoven sonatas, 'Das Lebewohl', opus 81a. This is a unique occasion for fans of Beethoven and the 'pianist of all pianists'.

Daan Vandewalle - L'Esprit Messiaen

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

dinsdag 2 december 2008 - dinsdag 2 december 2008

Kunstcampus - Daan Vandewalle is not only a masterly performer of twentieth-century and contemporary music, he is also a fascinating storyteller and teacher. This lecture-recital is an ideal stepping-stone to the major Messiaen project with I Solisti del Vento and Muziektheater Transparant on Saturday 6th December 2008.

Lezing Joris Verdin

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

woensdag 3 december 2008 - woensdag 3 december 2008

Kunstcampus -

Boris Charmatz . Association Edna - La danseuse malade

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

woensdag 3 december 2008 - donderdag 4 december 2008

Dans - In his new creation, 'La danseuse malade' the choreographer Boris Charmatz is inspired by the writing left us by Tatsumi Hijikata (1928-1986). Together with Kazuo Ohno, this Japanese avant-garde artist is regarded as the founder of butoh. This 'dance of darkness' was all the rage in Japan fifty years ago. It expresses the revolt against tradition that occurred in the nineteen sixties. Butoh is an expressionist dance theatre, magical and Dionysian and with references to the Shinto dance of death. Hijikata's manifesto, which has only recently been translated from Japanese into French, has finally reached us. In this work the writer brings to the surface unknown aspects of the man-in-constant-transformation concept. On stage we see a giant installation, a monument to Hijikata. Boris Charmatz sets out to find the soul of butoh by drawing from the original power of the written word. He himself dances, and the young French actress Jeanne Balibar is responsible for Hijikata's words.

Richard Goode

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

woensdag 3 december 2008 - woensdag 3 december 2008

Muziek - Piano - His name pretty much speaks for itself. Every time Richard Goode takes his seat at the piano, you feel as if you are one step closer to the good, the true and the beautiful. Everyone who has heard this brilliant pianist at work, even the most severe of critics, is in awe and feels ennobled after his playing. During this five-day residence in deSingel you can experience Richard Goode in different environments: firstly as a pianist, then as a teacher-mentor in public master-classes and as a speaker in a lecture-recital. His master classes are not only restricted to technique and attack, but he will also teach the students how to really listen to the music. He will introduce them to ways of getting to grips with the composer's ideas and communicating them to an audience. During this lecture-recital Goode analyses his favourite Beethoven sonata. He plays it and explains how Beethoven pushed back musical boundaries in his 'Lebewohlsonate' to unleash his innermost feelings. An unforgettable listening experience!

Lezing André Laporte

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

donderdag 4 december 2008 - donderdag 4 december 2008

Kunstcampus -

Boris Charmatz - Lichaam, ruimtelijkheid en context

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

donderdag 4 december 2008 - donderdag 4 december 2008

Kunstcampus - Linked to the performances of 'La danseuse malade', Boris Charmatz will be holding a seminar for dance students on the impact of context on the meaning of the dance. Information: karlien.meganck@desingel.be

Masterclass piano olv. Hüseyin Sermet

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

donderdag 4 december 2008 - vrijdag 5 december 2008

Kunstcampus -

Sven Augustijnen (B) . Marcus Steinweg (D)

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

donderdag 4 december 2008 - donderdag 4 december 2008

Curating the Library - In his work the filmmaker and artist Sven Augustijen (B) explores the boundaries between fiction and reality. His oeuvre includes 'Iets op Bach' (1998), 'l'Ecole des Pickpockets' (2000), 'Le Guide du Parc' (2001), 'François' (2003) and 'Une Femme Entreprenante' (2004). Marcus Steinweg (D) is a philosopher and lecturer at the Academy of Art in Braunschweig. He has published a number of books including 'Autofahren mit Lacan' (Koblenz, 2001), 'Krieg der différence' (Koblenz, 2001), 'Bataille Maschine' (together with Thomas Hirschhorn, Berlin, 2003), 'Behauptungsphilosophie' (Berlin, 2006), 'Duras' (together with Rosemarie Trockel, Berlin, 2007). (English spoken)

Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest . James Conlon

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

donderdag 4 december 2008 - donderdag 4 december 2008

Muziek - Symfonisch - 'I would live for you, die for you, Alma!' These dramatic heartfelt pleas were scratched onto the last page of the score of Mahler's Tenth Symphony, which remained unfinished. A year before his untimely death in 1911, Mahler experienced the greatest artistic success of his life: the première of the colossal Eighth Symphony. But then came the affair between his wife Alma and the young architect Walter Gropius. In this, his Tenth Symphony, we can hear Mahler's emotional turmoil in full. Flirtatious infatuation, heartrending cries for help, outbursts of pent-up rage, and above all, bitter resignation. In the 80s James Conlon was the principal conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and has a great affinity with the late-romantic German repertory. The conductor and his orchestra will lead you through this capricious sample of the most intense human emotions.

Open generale repetitie - Harawi Liederen & Quatuor pour la fin du temps

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

vrijdag 5 december 2008 - vrijdag 5 december 2008

Kunstcampus -

Pianorecital mmv. Hüseyin Sermet . Pascal Sigrist . studenten pianoklassen

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

vrijdag 5 december 2008 - vrijdag 5 december 2008

Kunstcampus -

APT Advanced Performance Training . POPOK Posthogeschool voor Podiumkunsten - R-EJECT RE-SEARCH

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

vrijdag 5 december 2008 - vrijdag 12 december 2008

Kunstcampus - After one year's work, the first APT participants will in December be rounding off their artistic research and opening the doors to the public. APT is an open research environment for performers and theorists, whose participants look for alternative ways of exchanging knowledge and communicating. In the first year of its existence, research has been carried out into contemporary opera (Gable Roelofsen), mass choreography (Sara Manente), mathematical principles of composition in a spatial setting (Klaas Devos), and the significance of the solo in art (Kim Lien Desault). From 5 to 13 December, deSingel and the PoPoK studio Lopitâl (Examenstraat 1, 2140 Borgerhout) offer you not only a look at the results, but also the opportunity to make your own contribution to the research in public discussions and the Democratic Forest workshop (in English). You will find up-to-date information on dates and a full description of the projects at www.popok.org/apt

I Solisti del Vento & Muziektheater Transparant - L'Esprit Messiaen

Sat, 06 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

zaterdag 6 december 2008 - zaterdag 6 december 2008

Muziek - Van Messiaen naar Ligeti - Olivier Messiaen was born on 10th December 1908. Just four days short of one hundred years later, I Solisti del Vento and Muziektheater Transparant will pay tribute to him. Messiaen was a staunch Catholic whose main source of inspiration lay in the beauty of God's creation and particularly in birdsong. He regularly went on nature trips to record birdsong and incorporated transcriptions of this into his compositions. 'The Blackbird' from 1952 was the first work in which he used the birdsong imitations that are so typical of his work. This short work is wholly based on the song of the blackbird, which can be heard morning and evening in the Jura. He goes a step further in 'Oiseaux exotiques', a broad, swelling counterpoint of birdsong, in which each instrument plays a very individual, almost solo, role. We also hear a reference to birds in the masterly 'Quartet for the End of Time', namely in the title of part three, 'Abîme des oiseaux'. Nevertheless, this masterpiece is dominated by the oppressive atmosphere of a 1941 Silesian prisoner of war camp. It was in this spiritual emptiness that Messiaen set out in search of a music that could break the fetters of time. In 1945 he composed the song cycle 'Harawi' which forms the first part of the 'Trilogy of Love and Death' and is largely based on the legend of Tristan and Isolde. The word 'Harawi' comes from Quechua - the ancient language of Peru - and represents a love song that ends with the death of the lovers. Messiaen uses the contours of the Peruvian melodies and transforms them into his own melodic and modal idiom. Muziektheater Transparant creates a subtle staging for both 'Harawi' and 'Quatuor'. The evening concludes with 'Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum', an apocalyptic composition for wind instruments and percussion with suggestions of the religious and the supernatural. Messiaen composed the work to commemorate the dead of the two World Wars. It is a monumental, tumultuous composition, driven by Indian rhythms, birdsong and Gregorian melodies.

Cursus Amarant . Hildegarde Devuyst - Alain Platel en Les Ballets C de la B . 'Pitié!'. Een blik achter de schermen.

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

maandag 8 december 2008 - maandag 8 december 2008

Kunstcampus - Hildegard De Vuyst works as a dramaturge for the director Alain Platel. She has so far assisted him in making such productions as 'La Tristeza Complice', 'Iets op Bach', 'Wolf' and 'VSPRS'. In his new piece, 'Pitié', which will open in September, the main focus is on pity. Apart from the fact that Fabrizio Cassol's music is based on Bach's 'Matthew Passion', few elements were fixed at the start of the rehearsal process. At Amarant's request, Hildegard De Vuyst kept a production diary that enables us to trace how 'Pitié' came into being. This diary gives you a unique view of the rehearsals. Information and enrolment: www.amarant.be

Alain Platel & Fabrizio Cassol . Les Ballets C. De La B. - Pitié!

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

woensdag 10 december 2008 - zaterdag 13 december 2008

Dans - Is there anything that still moves us to compassion today? The answer to this question lies in the latest creation by the choreographer Alain Platel and the composer Fabrizio Cassol. Following the general praise for 'vsprs', these two have decided to work together once more. This time their inspiration comes from what is probably the greatest classic in the baroque repertoire: Bach's St. Matthew Passion. This famous masterpiece transposes into sublime music the Passion of Christ according to the gospel of St Matthew. In telling their story of compassion, Platel and Cassol's starting point in content and music is the aria 'Erbarme dich'. Their focus is on the mother's pain at the ultimate sacrifice her child makes. The latter role is musically translated by two kindred voices that are like two sisterly souls: an alto/mezzo-soprano and a countertenor. At the centre of the colourful orchestra is the Aka Moon trio with Fabrizio Cassol on the saxophone. His musical versatility and Platel's unique idiom are a guarantee for a large-scale musical dance spectacle.

Sabine Meyer & Ensemble Collage

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

woensdag 10 december 2008 - woensdag 10 december 2008

Muziek - Kamermuziek XL - The top German clarinetist Sabine Meyer has certainly made the clarinet sexy again. Thanks to her, the clarinet has regained the attention as a solo instrument. After playing principal clarinet with the Berlin Philharmonic for a number of years, she quickly rose to the top as a soloist and a chamber player. She gathered together a number of fellow musicians from the Ensemble Collage, amongst whom are the excellent violinist and much admired Benjamin Schmid -- whom you already know, the cellist Clemens Hagen from the Hagen Quartet, and other notable instrumentalists from Germany's leading orchestras. A fantastic combination you might say! You will no doubt greatly appreciate Beethoven's Septet and Brahms' lyrical First Serenade. Brahms' lyrical First Serenade will also be performed in its original nonet version before he orchestrated it for large orchestra.

Heimo Zobernig - Stellproben

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

donderdag 11 december 2008 - zondag 8 februari 2009

Architectuur tento - The Austrian artist Heimo Zobernig (1958) has already taken part in Documenta in the German town of Kassel three times (1992, 1997 & 2002). In his first solo exhibition at a Belgian art institution, he makes reference to theatre and architecture, among other things. The exhibition takes the form of five interventions - large-scale duplications of existing architectural situations - using the artistic vocabulary that is so typical of his work. Important roles are played by such concepts as alter ego, depot, doppelgänger, imitation, copy, mimesis, mimicry, mock-up, model, proxy, reference, remake, surrogate and others. In the accompanying catalogue, entitled 'Stellproblemen', these concepts are explored in greater depth in an associative approach.

Collegium Vocale Gent . Peter Kooij - Singet dem Herrn

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

vrijdag 12 december 2008 - vrijdag 12 december 2008

Muziek - Hoogdagen - The huge importance of Heinrich Schütz as 'father of German music' has in the past few decades finally become clear and has penetrated to the concert stage. Peter Kooij is known mostly as a bass, but these days is also a conductor. In the run-up to Christmas he focuses his efforts on the collection of motets that Schütz published in 1648 as 'Geistliche Chormusik' - a less than eloquent title for a group of brilliant works. These largely six-part motets illustrate that Schütz, despite his interest in 'modern' baroque music, was also thoroughly schooled in 'old-fashioned' counterpoint. Like Monteverdi he was convinced that the composer should first master the accomplishments of the past and only then elaborate upon them. Schütz's mastery of counterpoint was staggering. He couples strong compositional technique with unfailing attention to the meaning of the words sung. The Collegium Vocale excels in this music, which only the very best choruses can perform convincingly.

Cappella Amsterdam & Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin . Daniel Reuss

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

zaterdag 13 december 2008 - zaterdag 13 december 2008

Muziek - Bach & Händel - Ever since its first performance in Dublin on 13 April 1742, Handel's 'Messiah' has remained an absolute icon of Western music. This oratorio already began to establish its popularity during Handel's lifetime. He reworked it several times to better accommodate the changed circumstances in which it might be performed: a new cast of singers, for instance. In the decades after Handel's death in 1759, the 'Messiah' gained real cult status. Grand performances were staged in the latter part of the eighteenth century as a matter of course and even more so during the nineteenth, when they included hundreds of performers. Only in the late twentieth century did such innovators as Harnoncourt and Brüggen attempt to peel away the thick layers of dust and varnish to reveal the true work and scale it back down to its historically original proportions. It is this path that the Berlin Akademie für Alte Musik and conductor Daniel Reuss have chosen to take: they present a 'Messiah' on a human level, a work about human genesis and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, themes that spurred Handel to give of his very best.

Peter Missotten . Toneelhuis - De wilde wilde weg

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

zaterdag 13 december 2008 - zaterdag 13 december 2008

Theater - Toneelhuis is entering its third season under the artistic direction of Guy Cassiers. Our two organisations collaborate frequently and in all sorts of ways, but each on the basis of our own specific mission. On the one hand by offering a shared season ticket. On the other by creating a place within the programme for productions made under the umbrella of Toneelhuis or at least whose artistic roots lie there. The beginning and end of the deSingel season is marked by two large-scale projects, both directed by Guy Cassiers. Following a salutary Theatre Festival we shall begin with a series of première performances of the 'Power Triptych'. In June we will present a real opera whose music is composed by Kris Defoort. 'Sutra', the Chinese-tinged choreographic work by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, a member of the Toneelhuis artists collective, will also be presented on our large stage. Apart from this we have the shared season ticket, for which each theatre selects three productions from the other's programme. Our selection from the Toneelhuis programme is as follows: Peter Missotten and his co-director Peter Vandemeulebroecke will stage an excellent play, 'De wilde wilde weg' by the American scriptwriter and author, Steve Tesich. A new step in the Filmfabriek's search for the horror - which at times is also hilarious - of the end of our civilisation. 'Maria-Magdalena' by Wayn Traub is the sequel to 'Maria-Dolores' and 'Jean-Baptiste'. In this triptych Traub uses theatre, music and film to give shape to a highly personal mythology. On stage we see a top-class Chinese dancer as the muse Maria-Magdalena and Wayn Traub himself as a new character, Iokanan. Finally, Olympique Dramatique will create 'Adams appels', a playful musical set to original music by Dominique Pauwels. The text is inspired by the film script of the same name by the Danish film-maker Thomas Jensen.

Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen - Die Grosse

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

zondag 14 december 2008 - zondag 14 december 2008

Verhuur -

Workshop Arne Deforce . Champ d' Action - Laboratorium

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

dinsdag 16 december 2008 - dinsdag 16 december 2008

Kunstcampus - Interfacing and active musicianship is the theme of the workshop given by Arne Deforce (cello) and Serge Verstockt (composer and electronics performer) with music and composition students who are interested in 'composing-performing'. Concrete works are rehearsed and presented to the audience. This workshop is part of the Contemporary Music Laboratory project organised by Champ d'Action, Antwerp Conservatory and deSingel.

Quatuor Ysaÿe & Pascal Rogé

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

woensdag 17 december 2008 - woensdag 17 december 2008

Muziek - Fauré - We could hardly omit the Quatuor Ysaÿe and pianist Pascal Rogé from our series based on the chamber music of Fauré and his French contemporaries. The specific, refined style of this music is their natural habitat. The Quatuor Ysaÿe was formed in 1984 at the Paris Conservatory, where, a hundred years before, figures such as Franck and Fauré had tried to dominate the young Debussy and Ravel. Together with Saint-Saëns, Franck and Fauré were the only composers in late nineteenth-century France to concentrate intensively on chamber music. While Saint-Saëns and Franck were absorbed by the genius of Schumann, Wagner and Liszt, Fauré chose another path. Gradually he developed his own, unique language, permeated very much by the tonality of church music and the polyphony that underpinned his training as a church musician at the Niedermeyer School. The Second Piano Quartet marks the beginning of Fauré's mature period, when he found his own voice.

De Nederlandse Bachvereniging . Jos van Veldhoven

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

donderdag 18 december 2008 - donderdag 18 december 2008

Muziek - Hoogdagen - When it came to composing the 'Christmas Oratorio', Bach took his inspiration not so much from the limited but rich tradition of the German 'Christmas narrative' but more from his own passions. We find the same triple-layered structure in the text: Bible passages, chorales and newly written poetry, including a variety of musical forms from which they originate. Recitatives, arias, ariosos, great choruses and short chorales continually alternate. In contrast to the often very dramatic passions in which various characters stand face to face as if it were a religious opera, the 'Christmas Oratorio' is much more contemplative in character, being entirely patterned on the Christmas narrative from the Bible. The emphasis is not so much on the telling of the story with all its dramatic developments, but more on a reflection on Christmas. The Nederlandse Bachvereniging has for some time adopted a more refreshing approach, whereby the soloists join together with eight other members of the choir to form a flexible chorus. Jos van Veldhoven has a particularly refined sense of Bach's complex musical lines, which he likes to mark out with the finest pencil.

Quatuor Ysaÿe & Pascal Rogé

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

vrijdag 19 december 2008 - vrijdag 19 december 2008

Muziek - Fauré - The Quatuor Ysaÿe was named after the legendary Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, who also named his quartet after himself. Ysaÿe's quartet played an important role in Parisian musical life at the end of the nineteenth century. A whole series of milestones from quartet literature were dedicated to them and first performed by them, including the string quartet by Debussy in 1893. The powerful influence of Franck filters through in the cyclical structure of this work, and the same motif in each of the four parts returns -- a process that Franck applied for the first time in his 1878 piano quintet. Debussy however went one step further in exploring the textures of the four instruments. The atmospheric transitions between the instrumental tints and nuances of light and shadow earned him a reputation as an 'impressionist'. Fauré composed his only string quartet at the end of his life. His tendency towards severity and clarity, which paralleled his increasing deafness, here reaches a climax.

Arthur Nauzyciel - Black Battles with Dogs van Bernard-Marie Koltès

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:00:00 GMT

vrijdag 9 januari 2009 - zaterdag 10 januari 2009

Theater - Art in the age of globalisation! This is a story, written by a French author who died at an early age, about a racial issue in Africa, performed by American actors from Atlanta and directed by a young French director. 'The curse of the negro race comes from God, but the curse of the white race comes from the black man, who will for ever be God's chosen one because God once cursed him.' The French writer Bernard-Marie Koltès mentions this quotation by William Faulkner in a letter he wrote to a friend when he was visiting New York in 1983. He is passionate about America and its socially critical literature. Four years previously, he had written 'Combat de nègre et de chiens', a story set on a French building site in Africa. When the body of a black worker disappears, it changes the lives of four of the characters. The French director Arthur Nauzyciel was a pupil of Antoine Vitez at the Chaillot school of drama until Vitez' death in 1989. After he had worked for ten years under various directors he gradually took his first steps as a director. 'Black battles with dogs' breathes the stifling atmosphere of the southern United States. And reminds us of the racial segregation that existed there in a not too distant past.

Nationaal Orkest van België . Nikolaj Alexejev

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:00:00 GMT

zaterdag 10 januari 2009 - zaterdag 10 januari 2009

Muziek - Symfonisch - Prokofiev's Third Piano concerto has always been the most successful of the five, managing to pair fresh vitality with passionate fervour. Characteristic of Prokofiev are the compact lyrical passages seasoned with spiky dissonance. In this concerto, the Russian master pianist Boris Berezovski is able to let himself go. With his formidable technique and astonishing precision, he dances with the piece, whirling through the notes. The conductor Nikolaj Alexejev has been principal conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra of St Petersburg since 2000 and is known for his fiery interpretations of the Russian classics. The performance of Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony is in very safe hands. This symphony is a perfect reflection of the Russian soul. It begins in profound melancholy and with a dark sense of foreboding. Thereafter an elegant waltz moves into the third section paving the way for its arrival at a radiant, victorious finish.

Popok Theatervormgeving 2008-2009 - Afstudeerprojecten

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:00:00 GMT

maandag 12 januari 2009 - vrijdag 23 januari 2009

Kunstcampus - Final-year students of stage design will be presenting their work over a period of two weeks: scale models, photos, objects and sketches. Recommended as an introduction to new talent in stage design.

Graham Johnson & Geraldine McGreevy - Lecture Recitals 'Gabriel Fauré en de Franse Mélodie'

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:00:00 GMT

vrijdag 16 januari 2009 - zaterdag 17 januari 2009

Muziek - Fauré - Anyone who is familiar with the recordings of the Lieder pianist Graham Johnson on the Hyperion label knows that the CD booklets are invariably quite bulky. In each CD, Johnson writes the introduction himself. The essays are deep and profound and read more like pure prose. Graham Johnson is not only a studied writer but his ability to discuss music is second to none. His recent complete recording of Fauré's songs was reason enough to invite him to elaborate on the rich song oeuvre of this French composer. Spread over two evenings, and together with a few talented young singers, Johnson interprets a selection of songs and discusses them extensively. Fauré's songs using the writings of Belgian poets, the so-called 'Belgian connection', will be a key component. The poems of Charles Van Lerberghe, for instance, inspired Fauré to write two of his most beautiful song cycles: 'La chanson d'Eve' and 'Le jardin clos'. Johnson explains just how Fauré transforms the emotions and the images in the poetry into enchanting sound landscapes. Johnson plays everything with so much nuance that you can smell the fragrance from the roses in the garden of Eden!

Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen - Vienna's Glory

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 12:00:00 GMT

zondag 18 januari 2009 - zondag 18 januari 2009

Verhuur -