Unfortunately I could only enjoy it on Saturday, of that second two-day edition of the Walden festival in Brussels' Leopold Park. And yet it was a delightful afternoon. And probably the afternoon with the most exotic music of the event, although it opened with a wonderful classic. Nothing less and nothing more than Ein kleine Nachtmusik. And that was performed by the Boho Strings. Don't look too far: an ensemble from, yes, BOrger HOut.... with David Ramael as artistic director. A fresh appearance in shirtsleeves on this warm summer evening and anything but a stiff rake, but an enterprising, socially engaged and communicative conductor. And with musicians as diverse as Borgerhout is. The music sounds, as so much music by Mozart does, oh so sunny. It immediately got the festival going.
That diversity can also be heard in the music of the Algerian composer Salim Dada. Heavier on the hand than Mozart, but a Sinfonietta written especially for this occasion, a world premiere, beautifully melodic contemporary work with an Arabic touch, just like the few miniatures that followed, and served with a clearly Mediterranean to even Balkan sound.
Walden, the festival naturally derives its name from that Klara broadcast on the slowest day of the week, the Sunday program of music compiler Katleen van Bavel. Which in turn must be a reference to that cult book by the American writer and nature observer Thoreau. A book that few music lovers have probably read, but whose reputation is well known enough. That "life in the woods" life is something else than this life here on this sun-drenched grass field: "classical sur l'herbe". There is peace, a little too much because there aren't that many people. The whole thing has a mini-Middelheim quality, it seems. Certainly when the trio of Rabih Abou Khalil performs, the Lebanese oud player who also embraced jazz, together with the American percussionist Jarrod Cagwin. And the latter also chose all kinds of drum techniques and instruments from Indian, Turkish, Persian and other traditions. Together with the Polish jazz violinist Mateusz Smoczynski, this was once again a discovery on that frayed edge of exotic world music, swinging between many forms of East and West.
The icing on the cake was without a doubt the Orchestre des Jeunes de la Méditerranée. Young people from around the Mediterranean basin, gathered by the tireless Fabrizio Cassol. Since 2015 he has taken them along every side of that "Odyssey" and prepared them, first for the Medina Session at the Festival of Aix-en-Provence and now for the Walden Festival. It becomes a turbulent mixture of improvisation and composition. Dazzling, without a doubt. Modest as he is, Cassol did not stand on the stage but only behind the mixing desk while his young people unleashed all their devilish sounds and angelic singing in a bewitching fanfare of Southern rhythms and tones on an countless variety of instruments. And anyone who sees Fabrizio Cassol at work should not be surprised that the impressive soprano Claron McFadden is also nearby. A truly electrifying performance. Then you no longer ask yourself what East and West is, you let that melting pot wash warmly over you and enjoy that Southern wind to the full.
WHAT: Walden Festival
WHERE: Leopold Park, Brussels,
WHEN: Saturday 16 July 2022
WHO: Boho Strings, conducted by David Ramael
Rabih Abou-Khalil Trio, Orchestre des Jeunes de la Méditerranée conducted by Fabrizio Cassol and among others soprano Claron McFadden.