Lunalia is more than the successor to the Festival van Vlaanderen. It is more than an excellent organization by a dynamic team. More than a joyful reunion with like-minded souls in the most beautiful Mechelse locations.
It is called 'Lunalia' - hello Sister Moon! But it was leaving a late afternoon sun to return under the full moon or pouring rain. And Lunalia was also an immersion in ancient Andes culture, in the refinement of Argentine Tango, in the innovative a cappella world of the eight singers of Lyyra and in the cross-pollination between the best that La Strada, the street with all its inhabitants from here and elsewhere, has to offer. Plus a heartwarming fraternity around an inspiring meal, prepared on site by culinary artists Hadas Cnaani & Sadaf Malyar.
What keeps emerging from that colorful world is the contagious richness of folklore as recorded around 1780 by the Basque Balthazar Martinez Compañon, bishop of Trujillo, in his Codex Trujillo de Peru, a monumental work housed in the Royal Palace of Madrid. A colorful source of information that can rival Google. The eight ladies and gentlemen of the Dutch-Latinas Ensemble Musica Temprana have been immersed in Latin American music from the Baroque and Renaissance for 25 years. And that was evident in every note, every word of the program 'De Andes in vuur en vlam'. And, regarding 'words', those at home in Spanish were lucky. The less linguistically skilled can thank festival director Mathias Coppens for the helpful program booklets sometimes provided with welcome translations.
It was typical that the music accompanying the Trailer Festival 2026 was the tango music of Eduardo Rovira, as Sonico promotes it. Because Tango is not just Piazzolla. Tango is not only for dancing but also for feeling. And feeling was what a full Stadsschouwburg experienced from the first sounds of the bandoneon of Lysandre Donoso, in interaction with the guitar of Alejandro Schwarz and the double bass of leader Ariel Eberstein (with cap, as it should be). Add to this trio the virtuosic oboe of Christian Impaziente and you have the ideal backdrop for singer Claudia Pannone, an Argentine woman at home in many fields. And radiant, refined elegance personified. Singing for her is telling, charming, moving, as with the story of 'Madame Yvonne'.
The limitations of De Lijn and other commitments kept me far from Dowlndrake, Innercities, Heleen Van Haegenborgh & Christian Wallumröd Ensemble, Tutu Puoane and Casco Phil, which left enthusiastic memories. I said goodbye to Lunalia with the six singers of Lyyra. According to their program 'In the Beginning', they started with one soprano, then two, three... And before you knew it, a cohesive choir with angelic voices made the cross-over from Hildegard von Bingen, via Couperin, Bach, Byrd and Barber to Paul Simon, Lennon-McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Amy Beach, American folk music and gospel, which seemed tailor-made for alto Cecille Elliott. Their collaboration with the label and mission of The VOCES8 is evident. Their first performance in Belgium received a standing ovation from a full Sint-Pieter en Paulkerk.
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