After the success of the family show The Four Seasons, concertmaster Lisanne Soeterbroek and narrator Freek De Craecker join forces once again for an unforgettable chamber music concert (in Dutch). Enter the colorful fantasy world of The Wizard of Oz, brought to life by the ensemble with musicians from the orchestra, set to the masterful sounds of Igor Stravinsky. The flamboyant Freek De Craecker gives L. Frank Baum's timeless story a contemporary twist. An essential experience for the whole family, starting from six years old!

Family Concert: The Wizard of Oz (6+)

AMUZ (Festival van Vlaanderen Antwerpen)

Dmitri Shostakovich and Krzysztof Penderecki lived in turbulent times, with one facing censorship in Stalin's Russia and the other experiencing the oppression of his homeland's communist regime. The melancholy in their music reflects their personal struggles, yet hope resonates. Shostakovich's Piano Quintet, revered for its depth, innovation, and contrasting emotions, showcases each instrument uniquely contributing to the texture and narrative. Penderecki, in his melancholic Sextet—a remarkable display of his later style—accentuates the cello and horn, offering a prominent role.

Chamber music: Shostakovich and Penderecki

The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra heads to Antwerp’s Cathedral of Our Lady for a programme that highlights the building’s superb acoustics. Against the backdrop of Rubens’s majestic altarpieces, you get to enjoy music inspired by the works of other master painters: On a landscape by Turner by the Belgian composer Jacqueline Fontyn and Ottorino Respighi’s Botticelli triptych. The majestic cathedral vaults will also resonate to the sound of the Romanza for violin and orchestra by Antwerp composer Flor Alpaerts. Finally, the orchestra will conjure up a seascape with Britten’s Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia. An atmospheric encounter of creative minds in a unique setting!

Cathedral Concert

Cathedral of Our Lady Antwerp

Shostakovich’s symphonies are milestones in the symphonic repertoire, all equally dramatic with that same rebellious, ironic undertone. His last symphony, Symphony No. 15, has a more introspective quality. Many of his contemporaries likened it to a meditation on life: the cheerful first movement represents the innocence of childhood, whereas the last, unsettling darker movement refers to adulthood and perhaps the end of life. In the piano trio for piano and two percussionists, his Fifteenth is reduced to its essence. Shostakovich has never sounded so pure, so transparent. Schubert’s Notturno is another work of brooding intensity. This serene gem, which was first performed after the composer’s death, really comes into its own in the stunning setting of AMUZ.

Lisanne Soeterbroek

Events

Past events

Nov 2, 2024

Family Concert: The Wizard of Oz (6+) · Antwerp Symphony Orchestra

Oct 13, 2024

Chamber music: Shostakovich and Penderecki · Antwerp Symphony Orchestra

Future and recently performed repertoire

Violin in Piano Quintet by Shostakovich

Antwerp Symphony Orchestra

Violin in Symphony No. 15 by Shostakovich

Antwerp Symphony Orchestra

Violin in Romanza by Alpaerts

Antwerp Symphony Orchestra

Violin in Sextet by Penderecki

Antwerp Symphony Orchestra

About

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