Picture this: you're heading to a concert called 'Musica pro Maria' at the Hanswijk Basilica out of reverence, and because Candlemas is an inspiring celebration. You see the basilica, partially under scaffolding, completely packed. Before you know it, you're swept off your feet by a totally unknown countertenor! That's how I discovered Jannes Desmet, a 33-year-old Brussels-born Limburgian or Limburgian-born Brusseler, accompanied at the piano by the artistic Katarzyna Hajduk. He immediately knocked us over with two Bach arias.
After all, following violin lessons with Elisa Kawaguti at 'LUCA School of Arts' in Leuven, he dedicated himself to singing and developed as a countertenor with the help of a whole team of specialists. Currently he studies at the Brussels Conservatory with mezzo-soprano Michèle Losier and nurtures a strong love for Baroque music. This also explains his collaborations with ensembles like 'Baroque and More' conducted by Luc Ponet and 'BachPlus' conducted by Bart Naessens.
Naturally
The attentive engagement of this slender young man with his classy artistic look was immediately evident, even between songs. And we hadn't even heard his ethereal, supple voice yet! The music seemingly flows effortlessly toward you like a homogeneous stream. Jannes sings with obvious pleasure, just as he speaks. He could count on close collaboration with pianist Katarzyna Hajduk, who recently composed an alternative to the 'Ave Maria,' which had its world premiere here and was then juxtaposed with the original Schubert version after a moment of poetic reflection. It became truly charming when voice and piano received responses from the Flute Quartet KLANK, which had already impressed with its originality, sound quality, and artistry in unfamiliar works by Catherine Mc Michael (USA b.1954), Satoshi Yagisawa (Japan b.1975), Franco Cesarini (Switzerland b.1961), Herman Beeftink (Netherlands/USA b.1953), and Marc Berthomieu (France 1906-1991).
KLANK stands for the initials of Quartet, Lies Boden, An Bernaerts, Nancy Van Vaerenbergh, and Karin De Bels. Their instruments range from small to large flutes and from high to low pitches. The four women graduated from the Mechelen Municipal Conservatory, where they continue to specialize in contemporary music. The closing piece 'Strike the viol' by Purcell was a successful synthesis of KLANK's performance, Katarzyna Hajduk, and Jannes Desmet, and at the same time living proof of the organizational insight of Fernand Verreth, who certainly knows what's worth what.
