With The Planets confirmed the Antwerp Spring Festival 2026's ambition to be more than just a classical concert program. The program – from Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) through Frederik Neyrinck (b.1985) to Gustav Holst (1874-1934) – unfolded on Thursday, April 23rd as a carefully constructed journey from primordial chaos to cosmic imagination. In the Handelsbeurs Antwerp, this narrative took on not only historical resonance with the Flemish Symphony Orchestra (SOV), but also a distinctly contemporary character.
Crucial to this was the role of chief conductor Martijn Dendievel, who approached the program as one continuous dramaturgical arc. In Haydn's The Representation of Chaos he opted for a clear, transparent reading in which the music gradually organized itself from apparent chaos. At the same time, it was evident that the orchestra was still finding its place in the hall's acoustic space during the opening phase. Environmental sounds – the clinking of glasses and a rather insistent air conditioning system – made concentration far from easy. Gradually, however, the performance found greater focus and the tension building became more effective.
During the world premiere of Okapi, Frederik Neyrinck's trombone concerto, thinking in sound and space took on a contemporary and particularly convincing expression. The work departed from a distinctly spatial concept: alongside soloist Bram Fournier, two additional trombonists were stationed on the first balcony, resulting in a layered sound field in which echo, resonance, and movement were central. Neyrinck treated the trombone as a multifaceted voice, separate from the traditional soloist-orchestra dichotomy, and rather as part of a dynamic network of sound relationships.
This yielded a richly nuanced listening experience, in which timbre and space continuously engaged in dialogue. The tension building unfolded in an associative rather than linear manner, giving the work an open and imaginative quality. This was also the greatest strength of Okapi: in its direct sensory impact and in the way it swept the listener into a sound world that gradually unfolded.
Fournier proved to be the ideal interpreter for this concerto, which seemed tailor-made for him. With playing that was simultaneously physical, expressive, and refined, he drew a remarkably broad palette of colors from his instrument: from raw, grainy textures to velvety lines and surprisingly subtle tonal nuances. He gave the work shape from within and made the versatility of the trombone tangible in all its facets. At the same time, the orchestra stood out for its rhythmic precision and clear coordination under Martijn Dendievel's direction. Subtle reminiscences of 1920s jazz and influences from the musical theater tradition gave the whole an extra layer, keeping the concerto engaging from beginning to end.
After the intermission, The Planets by Holst took their place as the culmination, with the Flemish Symphony Orchestra expanded with SOV Young and the women's choir of Octopus. No fewer than 28 young musicians took their places among the permanent orchestra members (56 musicians), resulting in a remarkable symbiosis between experience and youthful energy. That the orchestra continues to assume this role and actively promotes the integration of young musicians underscores the importance of such initiatives for the future of the Belgian musical landscape.
In Holst's cycle, Dendievel opted for a reading that placed clarity and structure at its center. The ensemble playing was refined and engaged, though some of the characteristically English phlegmatism was occasionally lacking in the more melodic sections. Some lyrical passages, such as the famous hymn in "Jupiter," sounded rather robust than sustained, with a slightly militaristic undertone. At the same time, there were many moments that were genuinely convincing, with beautifully worked-out lines and a warm orchestral sound in more contemplative passages. The finale with the ladies of the Octopus choir also created a pleasantly disconcerting, almost esoteric atmosphere that worked well within the hall's acoustics. Unfortunately, here too the final measures were somewhat disturbed by environmental noise, preventing the restrained effect from taking as deep a hold as intended.
Overall, this concert demonstrated how consistently a programmatic idea can be carried through, from Haydn's creative chaos through Neyrinck's contemporary sound exploration to Holst's cosmic visions. The trombone concerto stood out particularly for its imaginative power and richness of sound, while the collaboration between the permanent musicians and SOV Young proved not only artistically fruitful, but also presented itself as a convincing model for the future.
That all of this came together in the Handelsbeurs Antwerp, a space that allows for both grandeur and intimacy, gave the concert an extra dimension. Thus the project took shape not only in the score, but also in its performance: music as a shared journey, carried by different generations and voices, and therein lay the enduring artistic value of this evening.
