Festival Musiq3: Utopia Just Across the Language Border

Festival Musiq3 Waals-Brabant brings eight concerts to seven Waals-Brabant municipalities from 29 September to 8 October. The festival invites everyone to discover accessible classical music in a convivial and festive setting. The festival joins forces with numerous cultural actors from the province and has a colourful programme in store that puts local heritage in the spotlight. For example, some concerts take place at unusual or mysterious locations. This fifth edition is a mix of genres and periods, from grand opera and piano repertoire with a twist to classics of yesteryear in contemporary dress. And a surprising novelty: a concert that remains secret until the curtain rises… "As a young, touring festival it is a challenge to win over the audience for our eclectic programme that crosses the entire province, from well-known venues to hidden locations", explains programmer Julie Calbete. "In four years we have managed to find an identity and establish the festival as an annual event. We do this in particular by offering encounters with artists for certain concerts. We also put young musicians from our conservatories in the spotlight, together with the dynamic character of Waals-Brabant." The opening concert is part of the Festivals de Wallonie theme 'utopias' and around a hundred choir members from music schools in Waals-Brabant are expected. Specially for this occasion they join their voices and have the chance to share a stage with established stars such as Belgian violinist Lorenzo Gatto and French pianist Jonathan Fournel, who both made waves at the Queen Elisabeth Competition, but also with young Korean baritone Taehan Kim, this year's winner. It promises to be a flying start (29.09, 20:00, La Sucrerie, Waver)! The next day a very different spectacle awaits at the Ferme du Biéreau. Invocations is an a-cappella concert by British ensemble Apollo5 and immerses the audience in intimate arrangements for voice, ranging from renaissance and classical to contemporary and pop music (30.09, 20:30, Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve).

A programme full of surprises

In Monty in Genappe, French guitarist Gaëlle Solal enters into dialogue with the festival theme during her recital Rêver encore. According to Solal, with an instrument you can go in any direction. The musician no longer needs to think about limitations, anything is possible! True to this philosophy, Solal promises a luminous and moving concert (01.10, 17:00). In line with the mission of the Festivals de Wallonie, the Waals-Brabant event also wants to appeal to a younger audience. In the Centre culturel Waux-Hall in Nijvel, children aged 8 to 88 can enjoy Madame Vitesse by Helene Bracke, a musical creation that tells with a smile about the exploits of the first female racing driver who undertook a journey around the world (16.10, 19:00). The most curious spectators can participate an hour before the start of the show in an 'intergenerational philosophy workshop' about this original production (16.10, 18:00, Waux-Hall). The concept of utopia is also often shrouded in mystery, so the Musiq3 Festival in Waals-Brabant has come up with the idea of programming a secret concert. The audience surrenders to the festival for a special surprise, with local artists and an unusual location that will be revealed last minute (05.10, 20:00, somewhere in Louvain-la-Neuve).

Bach and Liszt with a twist

Swiss pianist Beatrice Berrut, festival artist of the Festivals de Wallonie, also brings her message of hope. Her programme ranges from Liszt transcriptions and piano arrangements of Tchaikovsky to some of her own compositions (06.10, 20:30, Rideau Rouge, Lasne). The meeting between French harpsichordist Justin Taylor and Portuguese accordionist João Barradas (who also collaborated with Aka Moon) promises to raise the temperature with a special interpretation of Bach's Goldberg Variations in an unexpected location: the farm Ferme de la Petite Cense (07.10, 20:00, Thorembais-les-Béguines). Finally, the festival returns to Waver for a closing concert with a dance theme. The pianists of the Xilema Duo, winners of the Génération classique competition, open the recital of Florian Noack with some danceable pieces by Debussy, Ravel and Say. The young Belgian prodigy conjures up the sounds of an entire orchestra with his piano and brings a dynamic repertoire, from Bach via Mendelssohn and Strauss to Gershwin (08.10, 17:30, Espace de cultures Columban). At 15:00 the concert is preceded by an introductory violin workshop for children aged 6 to 8 (with ReMuA - free for accompanying adults, €8/child), followed by a tasting of local products.

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WHAT: Festival Musiq3 - Waals-Brabant

WHERE: seven Waals-Brabant municipalities

WHEN: 29 September to 8 October

www.lesfestivalsdewallonie.be/festivals/festival-musiq3-du-brabant-wallon