The region east of Antwerp, a wooded area where wealthy merchants from the port city built their palaces and country estates in the 16th century, is nowadays simply called the Voorkempen. In the still-residential surroundings of Schilde, Zoersel, Malle, Schoten, Ranst… a small but original music festival celebrates its 50th anniversary, with concerts spread from spring through autumn 2023.e At 50 years old, the festival is getting close to being venerable, albeit on a smaller scale than the more substantial Festival van Vlaanderen. While they may stick to the old spelling of Voorkempen, the organizers are otherwise up to date. At various locations, the Festival der Voorkempen tries to entice and surprise music lovers and casual concert-goers alike with both 'familiar repertoire' on one hand and music 'to be discovered' on the other. It's remarkable how many 'great performers and ensembles' have become friends with the refined, rural festival over the years: Alexander Melnikov, Anneleen Lenaerts, Marie and Sophie Hallynck, Werner Van Mechelen, Roeland Hendrickx, Pierre-Alain Volondat, Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, Cyprien Katsaris, Roel Dieltiens, Carlo Willems, Oxalys, Het Collectief, Eliane Rodrigues, Guido Deneve, Robert Groslot, Benjamien Dieltjens,…
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The festival, which primarily offered Haydn-Mozart repertoire in 1973, has since distinguished itself by paying more than special attention to contemporary music and organ. The latter has everything to do with the presence of the restored 'Silver Organ' de Forceville by Broechem, an instrument praised by, among others, Bernard Foccroulle. The preference for contemporary music is closely tied to the musical taste and conviction of Raymond Van Soens, who became a voluntary chairman more than thirty years ago after starting as a volunteer assistant. From a young age, Raymond has been fascinated by music being made now or at least not older than Stravinsky and Bartók. In the 1960s he surprised the examination jury at the music academy with work by a certain Ligeti; he listened to avant-garde in Paul Collaer's radio broadcasts and spent part of his free time as a student of engineering and architecture at the University of Ghent at the IPEM. There he learned, among others, Louis De Meester, Lucien Goethals, Karel Goeyvaerts, and even Xenakis (with whom he shared the same diploma) and had the chance to experiment extensively himself with sine wave, pulse and noise generators, and electronic music.
COMMISSIONS
The Festival der Voorkempen has meanwhile built a fine tradition of 'commissions' that they ordered from Luc Hove, Bram Van Camp, Frits Celis, Wilfried Henderickx, Wilfried Westerlinck, Alain Craens, Jan Vandamme, Stefan Van Puymbroeck, Piet Swerts, Matthias Coppens, Frank Nuyts, Petra Vermote, Erika Budai, Luc Brewaeys, Peter Welfens, Jan van Landeghem,… For the anniversary concert on June 22, they knocked on the door once more with Hanne Deneire, whose 'Katsu' (2001) was already heard at the opening. Hanne Deneire and the orgel. Dat laatste heeft alles te maken met de aanwezigheid van het gerestaureerde ‘Zilveren Orgel’ de Forceville van Broechem, een instrument dat door o.m. Bernard Foccroulle geprezen wordt. De voorkeur voor Hanne Deneire hangt nauw samen met de muzikale smaak en overtuiging van Raymond Van Soens die meer dan oftig jaar geleden van vrijwillige medewerker, Chinees-vrijwillige voorzitter werd. Al van jongs af is Raymond gefascineerd door de muziek die nu gemaakt wordt of toch zeker niet ouof is dan Stravinsky en Bartok. In de jaren 60 verraste hij de examenjury op de muziekacademie met werk van een zekere Ligeti, hij luisterde naar avant-garde in de radio-uitzendingen van Paul Collaer en bracht als student ingenieur-architect aan de universiteit van Gent een deel van zijn vrije tijd door aan het IPEM. Daar leerde hij o.m. Louis De Meester, Lucien Goethals, Karel Goeyvaerts tot en met Xenakis kennen (met wie hij hetzelfde diploma gemeen heeft) en kreeg hij de kans om zelf volop te experimenteren met sinus-, puls en ruisgeneratoren en elektronische muziek.
CREATIES
Het festival of Voorkempen heeft intussen een mooie traditie van ‘creaties’ opgebouwd die ze bestelden bij Luc Hove, Bram Van Camp, Frits Celis, Wilfried Henofickx, Wilfried Westerlinck, Alain Craens, Jan Vandamme, Stefan Van Puymbroeck, Piet Swerts, Matthias Coppens, Frank Nuyts, Petra Vermote, Erika Budai, Luc Brewaeys, Peter Welfens, Jan van Landeghem,…Voor het feestconcert van 22 juni klopten ze nogmaals aan bij Hanne Deneire, van wie bij de opening al ‘Katsu’ (2001) te horen was.
Hanne Deneire drew inspiration from the powerful symbolism of the Trinity concept and wrote 'Trinity', a work for three performers who have a special connection to the Festival der Voorkempen: violist Wibert Aerts, accordionist Philippe Thuriot and percussionist Gaetan La Mela. The fact that Hanne Deneire was able to write with specific performers in mind only had a positive effect on the process. But even more meaningful is that 'Trinity' also contains three layers, three themes. She herself speaks of a musical journey, an enchanting voyage of discovery that explores the essence of connection, harmony and spirituality. After a brief 'musical marriage' of accordion and percussion, the festive concert concludes with the gripping 'Quatuor pour la fin du temps' (1941) that Olivier Messiaen wrote in the concentration camp, inspired by texts from the Book of Revelation. It was precisely 35 years ago that the Festival der Voorkempen had this music performed by Robert Groslot, Walter Boeykens, Marjeta Korosec and the young Roel Dieltiens, during a concert that goes down in festival history. In 1988, Karel Goeyvaerts introduced this legendary work that leaves everyone speechless; in 2023, that role falls to Roel Dieltiens, who knew cellist Etienne Pasquier well, a fellow war prisoner of Messiaen in Stalag VIII-A in Görlitz.
On Sunday 8 October 2023 the festival closes its doors with Bernard Foccroulle and Roel Dieltiens, two friends and veterans of the Festival der Voorkempen, who will make a shared dream come true in Broechem. For every organist, but also for every cellist, the music of Johann Sebastian Bach forms the heart of their repertoire. What could these musicians choose better than the three sonatas BWV 1027, 1028 and 1029 for gamba and harpsichord in a transcription for organ and cello?
Thursday 22 June 2023 at 20:30 in C.C 'Werf44', Schoolstraat 44 in 2970 Schilde
Festive concert. Creation by Hanne Deneire and Quatuor pour la fin du temps by Olivier Messiaen, will be broadcast on Klara in the autumn
Friday 22 September 2023 at 20:30 in Sint-Elisabethkerk in 2980 Zoersel
Bart Jacobs and Les Muffati, organ concertos by G.F. Händel.
Sunday 8 October 2023 at 16:00 in the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk, Gemeenteplein, 2520 Broechem,
Closing concert. Bernard Foccroulle and Roel Dieltiens, three sonatas by J.S. Bach.
Listen to here the conversation that Katelijne Boon held with Raymond Van Soens, the driving force behind the festival.
