How many composers are lucky enough to attend a concert featuring exclusively their own music? That's the fortune that befell Wilfried Westerlinck. And it happened on the occasion of his 80th birthday no less. And in the magnificent chapel of Hollands College, in his hometown of Leuven.
He introduced the program himself, but came bearing both good news and bad news. His 2nd sonata, scheduled as the second piece of this morning concert, had to be cancelled because the pianist couldn't make it. A real shame, since it was none other than Leuven's piano prodigy, Brecht Valckenaers. The good news? The other musicians showed up. The opening was for violinist Kristina Rimkeviciute and cellist Alexander Avramichik. A duet for violin and cello—you don't find many of those. Westerlinck wrote it in Spain, deeply moved by the many processions where strong shoulders carried swaying images of the Virgin Mary. You hear it in that violin melody with rising and falling lines, supported by the plucking basso continuo of the cello, which together then played the final chords with the bow. The composer spoke about how the sonority of an instrument can captivate him. And his oeuvre is indeed full of solo works, especially for wind instruments. He favors simplicity over complexity. Tille Van Gastel performed that with vibrant color and an almost velvety tone on an instrument we rarely hear solo: an alto flute. It was a distinctive Belgian creation of that 'Watercolor III, for alto flute'. Finally, we heard his most recent 'Landscape'. It's number IX. He usually creates them for various ensembles. This time it was for strings and piano, performed by the Mirra Quartet. He wrote this landscape in the Dutch region of Drenthe during the pandemic. But all these landscapes are also inner landscapes for him. Back then, it was about being confined and yet trying to break free, with feelings of resignation and defiance, culminating in a powerful liberating finale.
What better way to end such a birthday concert than with warm embraces for the celebrating eighty-year-old.
Heartfelt congratulations, Wilfried.
