Visiting the Vleeshuis is always a bit like traveling. Traveling through time, traveling in the world of music. This time tango was the focus. Under the motto "Tragic tango" Jan Dewilde, the passionate coordinator of the Study Center for Flemish Music and librarian of the Royal Conservatory Antwerp, Erik Zwysen and Jolien Paeshuys sketched how the need for relaxation after the horrors of WWI paved the way for dance and ball orchestras and cinema orchestras and led to the commercialization of mechanical music and the breakthrough of sound film.
Their lectures were illustrated by a highly interesting piano recital by Gottlieb Wallisch, born in Vienna and now piano teacher at the University of Arts in Berlin. In 2020 he gave his prestigious career, which began very young in the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein, and which after the Queen Elisabeth Competition 1999 brought him into contact with the most renowned concert halls, festivals, world orchestras, conductors and record labels, a new direction with his CD project "20th Century Foxtrots", which Naxos released in the "Grand Piano Records" series and which is still ongoing.
Wallisch drew from the CDs dedicated to Czech Republic, Germany/Austria and, yes, Belgium. That provided a surprising introduction to works by August Bayens, Clément Doucet and Emmanuel Durlet. The composition by Durlet, "Tragic tango" was a small miracle of depth and intensity. These gained an extra layer through the presence of Mrs. Andrea Durlet, who never misses an opportunity to draw attention to her father's work as it deserves.
August Baeyens was also on the program of the short song recital by Isabelle Storms and Hanna Aelvoet, as well as Karel Albert.
The celebration ended - how could it be otherwise? - in the cellars of the Vleeshuis around the figurehead of mechanical music, the colorful impressive organ that added so much charm to tents and fairgrounds.
- WHAT: Tragic Tango with works by among others Emmanuel Durlet and August Bayens
- WHO: pianist Wolgfang Wallisch, texts by Jan Dewilde, Erik Zwysen and Jolien Paeshuys
- WHERE & WHEN: Museum Vleeshuis, Antwerp, November 15, 2023
- PHOTO: pianist Wolgfang Wallisch - © Stephan Polzer
