Nomination Golden Label Debut - Those who were in the scouts 'in our time' (1970s/80s) may still remember the song with the beautiful lyrics: "Fair is the youth that honors itself, strong through solid steel". That solid steel may be literally intended by the poet, but you can also view it symbolically and then it is ennobling. That is how I want to describe how the young musicians, guided by strong support, will determine the future.
I Solisti and I Solisti YoungStars is something like that. The YoungStars stand for youth, I Solisti for the solid steel. Together they form a tandem that paves the way for quality improvement and a strong future with great professionalism. The driving force, say the inspiration behind I Solisti YoungStars, is Francis Pollet, laureate Golden Label Career 2014. When you see how that career continues to evolve positively and becomes even stronger, you are happy that you could crown someone like this with this title.
About the concert, concept and execution
I Solisti YoungStars searched the weekend of October 6 and 7, 2018 for (very) young exceptionally talented young people with auditions in Kortrijk and Lier. One candidate was selected and will be mentored for several years by Francis Pollet and his colleagues. The first in the YoungStars line said goodbye as a YoungStar during the concert in Lier because 'graduated'. The now 17-year-old cellist Frederik Daelemans, whom those present at the Golden Label Ceremony in Gent, June 2014, will certainly still remember, played one of Bach's cello suites at age 12.
Another Golden Label laureate, this one for Young Talent 2018, the 16-year-old oboist Balder Dendievel, is also one of the YoungStars, together with his 14-year-old brother Jappe, bassoon and trombone. The last in line is the 12-year-old French horn player Dorian Scheck. Four very talented boys, articulate, thoughtful, modest, self-assured and performing as seasoned musicians. In short, cut from the right cloth to pursue music purely, the score, the story in the music, the harmony, the beauty. They also say it in their youthful enthusiasm. Very beautiful in itself and sometimes truly moving.
Chantal De Waele, recently pushed aside at Klara, presented the evening smoothly and interviewed the young artists and their mentor Francis Pollet. Yes, just from those well-meant words that everyone spoke, the questioning that testified to refined emotion, the conviction of 'we must support this' from Pollet and so on, was striking. I am certainly not the only one who had to rub their eyes now and then. Even without music, actually a lot of beautiful things already resonated that touched you very deeply inside. What an admirable initiative!
The concert
The concert opened with a divertimento for two oboes, two bassoons and two French horns by the young Mozart. A very relaxing, innocent work that is very transparent and therefore very delicate. Well, Mozart is always delicate, even if I'm stating the obvious by writing this.
First oboe was Balder Dendievel, assisted by Luk Nielandt. Next to him stood Jappe Dendievel as first bassoon with 'helper' Francis Pollet at his left. Anthony Devriendt played first horn, consistently very well followed by Dorian Scheck.
Believe me when I say that something of very high professional level resonated. If this ensemble of students and masters had played behind a curtain and the audience had to guess who was playing, they would have driven themselves crazy trying to figure out which famous ensemble it could be. Well then, it was the debut, - yes yes the debut! - of I Solisti YoungStars. They had never played together in concert before.
And as if this Mozart piece was not convincing enough, Frederik Daelemans took up his cello with a breathtaking work by the Italian Giovanni Sollima (1962): Lamentatio for solo cello. A peculiarity of this composition: the cellist must sing along while playing. An 'a' sound on a melody that has something oriental about it and the cello accompanies. The instrument leads and demands great virtuosity, but also a very deep ability to empathize, great sensitivity, a warm character. All these elements Frederik Daelemans masters / possesses as a master craftsman.
In a work by Paul Hindemith we feel his love for his wife. You see them together discovering, wandering, frolicking, dreaming: 'Vier Stücke für Fagott und Violoncello'. Once again we heard Frederik Daelemans assisted by Jappe Dendievel who mastered this piece as if he had played it for the 750th time. What a mature bearing that boy has, his facial expressions, the look and then that playing! 14 years old and playing like that? It is something never to forget to have witnessed it, and even more so in my case, to be able to write about it.
The enthusiasm of the very quiet listening audience would not be broken, quite the opposite. With 'Six Metamorphoses after Ovid' for solo oboe by Benjamin Britten, Balder Dendievel brought out handkerchiefs. I am certain that Britten never heard it so beautifully. Balder Dendievel knows the relevant literature thoroughly, understands how Britten set these mythological stories to music and knows how to perform this as one of the greatest interpreters, in his case on the oboe. What technique, what courtesy also, what an extremely rare pure musicality. Oh yes, of course I am infinitely happy, even delighted, that Klassiek Centraal could award him the Golden Label Young Talent (June 2018). He deserves it now even more than a few months ago. What an evolution in that short time and it was already so remarkable.
The brothers would also play together and they did. Delightful to hear and to see. 'Three Little Peaces for Oboe and Bassoon' these savoring brothers played, who dialogued as an experienced duo and reinforced each other in a sublime interpretation. With a little round dance, playing along, this pleasant piece ended with a cheerful winking note.
With 'Papa' Haydn it was concluded. Could there be a better choice? Haydn, that enthusiastic good-natured man who gave so many their chance. He could stand as a symbol for the work that Francis Pollet performs with these young talents who are for everything just ordinary nice kids, as it should be. Pure souls. They played in the same formation as Mozart, only with reversed roles for the first oboe and bassoon, Haydn's Divertimento in F (Hob. II. 15). A very friendly Haydn who in a landscape painting gives his love for people and country musical form. Using that one word again: beautiful. Very beautiful.
- WHAT: Young & Experienced
- WHO: I Solisti and I Solisti YoungStars – Francis Pollet, Luk Nielandt, Anthony Devriendt, Frederik Daelemans, Balder Dendievel, Jappe Dendievel, Dorian Scheck
- WHERE & WHEN: Jezuïtenkerk, Lier – Sunday 7 October 2018
- PHOTOS: © Klassiek Centraal
