The sublime Sufi poetry of the 12th/13th-century mystic and poet Ibn Arabî has been an inspiration for centuries already for everyone who wants to engage on ‘a voyage without distance’, to explore the doctrine of the soul or the spiritual path. Ibn Arabî is also the author of numerous prayers, some of which are still frequently used today. With this sublime material Moneim Adwan got to work with a view to compiling a programme full of lyrical and musical reflections. This Palestine musician is exceptionally familiar with the song traditions of his country not only as a singer, but also as a lute-player and a musicologist. The musical heritage of the region Al-Châm (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine) in conjunction with the classical Arabic repertoire forms the major source of inspiration for his works. AMUZ is delighted to host Moneim Adwan on his road to be explored, navigating between ancestral traditions and contemporary stories.

in collaboration with Nomadisch Kunstencentrum Moussem

Performers
Moneim Adwan, artistic direction

23 January, 2011 14:00 -- AMUZ

Our knowledge of music from the past offers contemporary composers an inexhaustible amount of opportunities to either emulate achievements or to break away from them. Today every composer is in a position to create and develop his own language. In an intens ive music week the pupils of the Arthur school are stimulated to make their own compositions an d to go in pursuit of what they feel is beautiful or exciting music. In this public pres entation you see and hear the result of this project as well as a video montage about the procee dings of the week and a meeting of the school children with the young composers Hanne Deneire  and Bram van Camp. 

in collaboration with De Veerman & Arthurschool Borgerhout

28 January, 2011 13:00 -- AMUZ

How does the future sound? That is the question underlying The Times They Are a Changin’. In 2008 AMUZ, HERMESensemble and De Veerman launched the first edition of this unique project. Young composers between 12 and 20 years got an opportunity to submit their compositions for ensembles and to have them performed by professional musicians. Meantime this is already the third edition and the most interesting works from all age categories are presented on the stage of AMUZ. Composers Bram Van Camp and Hanne Deneire again serve as coaches for this initiative. During this concert you can cast a glance on the future!

in collaboration with HERMESensemble & De Veerman

Performers
HERMESensemble | Stijn Saveniers, artistic direction

 

29 January, 2011 20:00 -- AMUZ

‘Stabat mater dolorosa iuxta crucem lacrimosa’ (in pain the weeping mother stood next to the cross): many composers have added music to this medieval text about Mary’s suffering at the death of her son. For Antonín Dvořák the composition of his Stabat Mater must have been a particularly intense experience. As a matter of fact he had lost his two infant daughters, not yet one year old, and his son of three. However, the overriding feeling is not melancholy but an ever present feeling of nostalgia and consolation. In a unique concert the Flemish Radio Choir brings Dvořák’s original Stabat Mater, a version from 1876 for soloists, choir and piano. The rest of the programme is devoted to piano works by Dvořák, steeped in the same mood, something up the alley of the versatile Belgian pianist Stéphane De May.

Performers
Stéphane De May, piano | Luc Anthonis, artistic direction

30 January, 2011 14:00 -- AMUZ

1853. Robert Schumann and his wife pay a visit to Holland. Clara Schumann, who was going to enter history as Europe’s uncrowned piano queen, is not overshadowed at all by her famous husband during this trip. As a prominent pianist she successfully entertains the Dutch royal family. In The Hague the couple meets Madeleine Gräver, the court pianist of queen Sophie. The members of Trio Luscinia, too, met in The Hague, more precisely during their studies at the conservatory there. Individually these women from Canada, Austria and Hong Kong have already pursued a successful career as soloists, but as an ensemble they offer even more dazzling fireworks! Trio Luscinia presents songs, duets and piano music by both Schumanns and by Madeleine Gräver.

Performers
Stefanie True, soprano | Michaela Riener, mezzo soprano | Constanze Lee, fortepiano

04 February, 2011 20:00 -- AMUZ

The musicians of HERMESensemble engage in a joint venture with Capilla Flamenca for a fascinating double concert, playing off early and new music against each other with a view to exploring spatial effects. Such a quest for the physical experience of art has been intriguing musicians for centuries already: the innovator Adriaan Willaert, a Fleming active at San Marco basilica in Venice, experimented already in the early 16th century with spatial arrangements and the evolution of polyphonous timbres in the material world. The contemporary Italian sound painter Salvatore Sciarrino, for his part, approaches his compositions as living beings: temporary, physical manifestations that are sustained by respiration, heart beat and emotions. Early vocal sounds and contemporary instrumental expression merge during this concert into an enchanting whole, timbre being a key player.

Performers
Marnix De Cat, countertenor | Tore Denys, tenor | Lieven Termont, baritone | Dirk Snellings, bass | Karin Defleyt, flute | Peter Merckx, bass clarinet | Orsolya Horvàt, violin | Marc Tooten, viola | Gaetan La Mela, percussion

Programme
Adrian Willaert, John Dunstable, Johannes Prioris, Salvatore Sciarrino a.o.
 

 

06 February, 2011 14:00 -- AMUZ