French pianist Claire Chevallier illuminates the friendship between Erik Satie, eccentric ‘agent provocateur’ of the Parisian avant-garde, and Claude Debussy, the innovative composer who with his harmonic innovations influenced many generations. Or did those innovations in reality stem more from Satie? Satie is supposed to have said that Debussy was better at writing Satie than himself. 

The beginning of the first world war pushed Debussy into a bottomless depression. In the first twelve months after the outbreak of the violence he composed simply and solely a homage to the king-knight Albert I of the Belgians. The concert opens with this Berceuse Héroïque. Be sure to prick your ears for the musical reference to the Brabançonne! When Satie composed his Gnossiennes at the end of the 19th century, there was no world war in sight. Even so, the sixth piece from the series needs to be played “with conviction and with a rigorous kind of sadness” – as if anticipating the disenchantment afer the Belle Epoque.

Performer
Claire Chevallier, piano 

Programme
Erik Satie: 6 Gnossiennes | Claude Debussy: Berceuse Heroïque – Images (première série) – Estampes
 

 

17 March, 2013 14:00 -- AMUZ

The new artist in residence at AMUZ is one of the most prominent harpsichordists of his generation. During his third and last AMUZ concert of this season the born performer treats his audience to keyboard suites of French and German baroque masters such as Couperin, d’Anglebert, Clérambault and Muffat.

The title of the recital is borrowed from a work of the 17th-century German composer Johann Jakob Froberger. In Plainte faite à Londres pour passer la mélancolie Froberger describes his disastrous voyage to London during which he was robbed. This highly personal and descriptive music belongs to the first examples of so-called programme music, in which a story unfolds. As we know him, Staier will tell this story in a compelling way!

Performer
Andreas Staier, harpsichord

As artist in residence, Andreas Staier brings 3 concerts in AMUZ this season:
– 19/10/12 | Bach & France
– 01/02/13 with Georg Nigl | lieder by Schumann & Schubert

22 March, 2013 20:00 -- AMUZ

Spanish soprano Raquel Andueza hails from Pamplona and studied at the conservatory there. After rounding out her education at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London she developed a worldwide career and realized many recording projects. In this masterclass Andueza coaches advanced singers in Italian seicento music.

More information and registration: www.musica.be

I.s.m. Musica, Impulscentrum voor muziek

23 March, 2013 12:00 -- AMUZ

Spanish sopranos Raquel Andueza and Olalla Alemán were already guests of honour in diverse ensembles on the stage of AMUZ before. As recently as last year Andueza was the charming artist in residence of Laus Polyphoniae with ensemble La Colombina. The string duo La Galanía will accompany these singers, both characterized by a strong temperament, in Seicento music by Monteverdi, Kapsberger, Frescobaldi, Merula and some other Italian contemporaries.

“Precisely in baroque music I can use my voice to best advantage. The many ornamentations that you can use in this repertory, suit me perfectly”: Andueza enjoys a great affinity with early Italian baroque. The same holds true for Olalla Aleman and the male musicians on stage. With this blooming music AMUZ heralds spring time!

Performers
Raquel Andueza, soprano | Olalla Alemán, soprano | Jan Van Outryve, archlute | Jesús Fernández Baena, theorbo

Programme
Work by Claudio Monteverdi, Giovanni Felice Sances, Johann Hieronymus Kapsberger, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Tarquinio Merula e.a.

24 March, 2013 14:00 -- AMUZ

Top harpsichordists Skip Sempé and Olivier Fortin focus on the school of the great French baroque composers. Jean-Philippe Rameau, Marin Marais and two scions of the Couperin music dynasty provide the music for this programme. They were the trendsetters of the Ancien Régime, active at the Court of Versailles or in the many French churches …

Armand-Louis Couperin is harder to find on concert programmes than his most famous relative François Couperin, a.k.a. ‘Le Grand’. All the same his exuberant Simphonie de clavecins is something very special indeed. Skip Sempé and Olivier Fortin do with flair what this score demands: to fully explore the possibilities and limits of the harpsichord!

I.s.m. Organisatie Oude Muziek

Performer
Skip Sempé, harpsichord | Olivier Fortin, harpsichord

07 April, 2013 13:00 -- AMUZ

23 August, 2013 19:00 -- St.-Pauluskerk