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- introduction -- programme & artists -

- programme notes -- biographies -

- musicians -

aWELCOME

J'ai embrassé l'aube d'été — Arthur Rimbaud

The setting: an enchanted garden, a summerbreeze, the sun high in the sky. The symphonicpoem Pastorale d'Été by Arthur Honegger setsthe tone: full of atmosphere, somewhatsubdued, with languid influences of jazz anddreamy strings.

Meanwhile, the sun is shining high in the sky, atwinkling star at the zenith. Piet Swerts takes usalong, with his Zodiac violin concerto, to themoment where the sun, in the middle of the day,reaches its high point. And it continues, intospace – the sun is, after all, a start, and Swertstranslates the constellations stars into music.

aFortunately, sunset soon beckons, bringing withit a fresh breeze and lush greenery in Le Jardinféerique: the final movement of Ravel’s Ma mèrel'oye (a ballet suite based on various familiarnursery rhymes) brings peace and rest in anenchanted garden, a dreamy and serene spotwhere it is lovely to relax after a long day.

aPROGRAMME

Stéphane Denève, conductor · Lorenzo Gatto, violin· Brussels Philharmonic ·

Arthur HoneggerPastorale d'été, H. 31

Piet SwertsZodiac (Ephemeris for violin and orchestra)I. Prologue - NADIRII. Toccatina - ARIESIII. Corale - TAURUSIV. Cantus Gemellus - GEMINIV. Chante-fable - CANCER

VI. Talea - LEOVII. Jeu-parti - VIRGOVIII. Cando - LIBRAIX. Planctus - SCORPIOX. Trope I - SAGITTARIUSXI. Tango - CAPRICORNUSXII. Trope 2 - AQUARIUS

aXIII. Quasi recitativo - PISCESXIV. Alba (Epilogue) - ZENITH

Maurice RavelMa Mère l'Oye (Mother Goose)

- Prélude (Prelude)- Danse du Rouet et scène

(Spinning Wheel Dance and Scene)- Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant

(Pavane of the Sleeping Beauty)- Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête

(Conversations Between Beauty andthe Beast)

- Petit Poucet (Tom Thumb)- Laideronnette, Impératrice des

Pagodes (Little Ugly One(Laideronette), Empress of thePagodas)

- Le jardin féerique (The Fairy Garden)

aPROGRAMME NOTES

After the past eighteen months, everyone canuse a bit of a break. Honegger’s Pastorale d’Etéputs us in the right the musical illustration of acarefree summer morning in the Swiss Alps. “Iembraced the summer dawn”, he wrote at thetop of the score, alluding to a poem by Rimbaud.The scenic atmosphere is reminiscent ofDebussy, who along with Ravel was among themost important composers of Frenchimpressionism. In Ravel’s orchestral suite MaMère l’Oye, a number of fairy tales are evoked.The work ends with a romantic scene in adream-like enchanted garden: the prince andprincess lived happily ever after. Piet Swerts, withhis Zodiac violin concerto, provides addedsparkle.

A summer morning in the mountains

aArthur Honegger (1892-1955) was born in LeHavre. His parents were of Swiss origin, and sohe initially studied at the Zürich conservatory andonly later in Paris. There, he got to know thecomposers of a group referred to by Erik Satie as‘Les Nouveaux Jeunes’ (‘the new youth’). Theirideal was simple music, accessible to everyoneand incorporating elements of everyday life.Thanks to a passing reference by a French musiccritic in the magazine Comoedia, the sixmembers of the group – Honegger, Auric, Durey,Milhaud, Tailleferre and Poulenc – they wentdown in the history of music as the ‘Groupe desSix’.

Honegger lived and worked for most of his life inMontmartre, the artistic centre of Paris. He lovedthe bustling life in the French capital, but tocompose he opted for a calmer environment. So,during the summer of 1920, he went to the SwissAlps to visit family. He stayed in Wengen, avillage at the foot of the Jungfrau mountain with

aa breath-taking view. There he found theinspiration for his Pastorale d’Eté, a musicalpainting depicting the awakening of nature. Atthe top of the score, Honegger wrote the firstlines of the poem Aube (Dawn), a poem byArthur Rimbaud (1854-1886): “I embraced thesummer dawn. Nothing stirred on the face of thepalaces. The water is dead. The shadows stillcamped in the woodland road. I walked, wakingwarm quick breaths, and gems looked on, andwings rose without a sound.”

The work opens with the deep notes in the cellosand double basses. In the distance, an (Alp) hornis heard and birds seem to awaken. Lingering,longing melodies move into a lively middlesection, after which the work ends as peacefullyas it began. The writer Jonathan Coe – a big fanof Honegger’s work – aptly described thesymphonic poem in his novel Expo 58: " ...themain theme was by now beginning to take on thecharacter of an old friend: once again, it rose and

afell, rose and fell, a soft, endlessly renewableconversation between the different sections ofthe orchestra; until it, too, faded intonothingness, amid the dying flourishes ofgossamer-bowed violins, the last twilit birdcalls offlute and clarinet.”

A dazzling starry sky

The Belgian composer, pianist and conductorPiet Swerts (1960) found inspiration in a naturalphenomenon for his violin concerto titled Zodiac(Ephemeris for violin and orchestra), namely, theheavenly bodies. At the basis of this work lies thecircle of twelve signs of the zodiac. Swertsillustrated them in twelve miniatures, each with itsown form, orchestration and atmosphere, andforged them into a single work.

Swerts considers himself primarily as anautodidact, but he did take some lessons withWitold Lutosławski, among others. He does not

acome from a musical family, but he felt a kind ofvocation early in life, as he confided to DeStandaard in 2020: “When I was eight, I wantedto become a writer, but while on holiday in SpainI began to try playing some songs on my father’smelodica. I was immediately able to pick outsome thirty songs by hear. After that, I went tothe music academy in Tongeren, where I firstwanted to learn the bassoon. That was notpossible then, so I took piano instead. I wasincreasingly bitten by the musical bug. In the1970s, I rode by bike, in short trousers, to theconcerts in the Basilica. When I was fifteen, Iwrote my first orchestral work. And I becameobsessed with composing.”

Swerts mostly writes on commission, and so in1993 he submitted his Zodiac violin concerto forthe finales of the International Queen ElisabethCompetition. His composition was not onlyselected as the compulsory work from 154submissions from some 30 countries, but he also

awon the International Grand Prize forComposition. The jury included none other thanHenryk Górecki. Swerts was the first Belgian towin this prize, and describes that moment as oneof the high points of his career, along with thepremiere of his opera Les liaisons dangereuses in1996 and A Symphony of Trees, a large-scalework that he composed in 2017 in memory of thebattle of Passendale.

Garden of fairy tales

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) composed only two‘real’ orchestral works – the Schéhérazadeoverture and the Rapsodie Espagnole. His otherworks for orchestra are arrangements of chamberworks, or originate as ballets. The orchestral suiteMa Mère l’Oye was first written as a suite forpiano four hands. Ravel composed it for Jeanand Mimie Godebski, two young children offriends. They played the simple Pavane from thesuite for a limited circle, and on 20 April 1910

atwo professional pianists performed the premiereat the Salle Gaveau in Paris.

In 1911, Ravel composed the orchestral versionof Ma Mère l’Oye, and a year later made anarrangement for ballet upon the request ofJacques Rouché, director of the Théâtre des Arts.For the ballet, he also wrote an extra prelude andinterludes, changed the order and even wrotethe script. Today, Ma Mère l’Oye is best known asan orchestral suite. Ravel deliberately kept theorchestra small in order to depict the tonalcolours very precisely and remain close to theintimate character of a chamber music work. Thetheme was also well suited to this, according toRavel: "The idea of evoking in these pieces thepoetry of childhood naturally led me to simplifymy style and refine my means of expression".

Ravel drew his inspiration from the book of fairytales of the same name, by the French writerCharles Perrault (1628-1703), as well as from the

afolk talks of the Countess d’Aulnoy and MadameLeprince de Beaumont. The story is as follows:During a birthday party for Princess Florine, sheaccidentally pricks her finger on a spinningwheel. As a result of a curse by the evil fairy, sheis doomed to die. But the good fairy transformsher death into a hundred-year-long sleep, ofwhich she can only be awakened by the kiss ofsomeone who loves her. In order to entertainPrincess Florine during her long sleep, the goodfairy decides to give her dreams filled withmarvellous tales, ranging from Tom Thumb toBeauty and the Beast. During the finalmovement, the princess’ dreams are interruptedby the arrival of a prince. He breaks the spell andmarries the princess in the presence of the happycourt and the dream figures.

Commentary by Aurélie Walschaert

aLORENZO GATTO VIOLIN

‘Above all, I want to sound honest. There isfragility in my tone, it is a reflection of who I amas a person. That is what music is to me: anexpression of human fragility’.

Lorenzo Gatto was born in Brussels in December1986. He started playing the violin at the age offive with Dirk van de Moortel. At eleven yearsold, he entered the Brussels Royal Conservatoireof Music in the class of Veronique Bogaerts,where he graduated at seventeen only with thehighest honour. He then studied with HermanKrebbers in the Netherlands, Augustin Dumay atthe Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgiumand he finished his academic journey by studyingfour years with Boris Kuschnir in Vienna. His workand determination are brilliantly rewarded as he

awon both the Second Prize and the Public’s Prizeat the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2009.

His nomination as a ‘Rising Star’ in 2010 allowsLorenzo to make his recital debut on majorEuropean stages including the AmsterdamConcertgebouw, the Vienna Musikverein, theCité de la Musique in Paris and many others. Itfurther expanded the possibilities ofcollaboration with orchestras and conductorssuch as Philippe Herreweghe, Vladimir Spivakov,Walter Weller, Jan Willem de Vriend, Jaap vanZweden, Martin Sieghart, Andrey Boreyko andYannick Nézet-Séguin.

In chamber music, Lorenzo shared the stage with,amongst others, Maria João Pires, Mischa Maisky,Martha Argerich, Menahem Pressler, Jean-ClaudeVanden Eynden, Frank Braley and Gérard Caussé.Lorenzo started collaborating with the talentedyoung Belgian pianist Julien Libeer in 2015.Together, they recorded all Beethoven sonatas

aand released a disc that was awarded with aDiapason d’Or of the year.

Lorenzo Gatto plays the ‘Joachim’ Stradivari from1698.

In his spare time, Lorenzo enjoys a lifelongpassion for everything that flies. Look up and seeif you can spot him high in the sky, arriving at aconcert flying a small plane or even a paraglider.

www.lorenzogattoviolin.com

aSTÉPHANE DENÈVE CONDUCTOR &

MUSIC DIRECTOR BRUSSELS PHILHARMONIC

Stéphane Denève is Music Director of theBrussels Philharmonic. With the orchestra he is atthe same time launching CffOR (Centre for FutureOrchestral Repertoire): an extensive onlinedatabase dedicated to 21st-century compositionsfor orchestra with chances at attaining ‘repertoirestatus’. Stéphane Denève is so passionate aboutthis new adventure and enthusiastic about theorchestra’s potential that he and his family havesettled in Brussels.

Meanwhile, Stéphane Denève is Music Directorof the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, PrincipalGuest Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra,and Director of the Centre for Future OrchestralRepertoire (CffOR). He has previously served asChief Conductor of Stuttgart Radio Symphony

aOrchestra (SWR) and Music Director of the RoyalScottish National Orchestra.

Recognised internationally for the exceptionalquality of his performances and programming, heregularly appears at major concert venues withthe world’s greatest orchestras and soloists. Hehas a special affinity for the music of his nativeFrance, and is a passionate advocate for music ofthe 21st century.

Recent engagements in Europe and Asia haveincluded appearances with the RoyalConcertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonicadell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia,Vienna Symphony, DSO Berlin, NHK Symphony,Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre National deFrance, Czech Philharmonic, and RotterdamPhilharmonic.

In North America he made his Carnegie Halldebut in 2012 with the Boston Symphony

aOrchestra, with whom he has appeared severaltimes both in Boston and at Tanglewood, and heregularly conducts The Cleveland Orchestra,New York Philharmonic, Los AngelesPhilharmonic, San Francisco Symphony andToronto Symphony. He is also a popular guest atmany of the US summer music festivals, includingBravo! Vail, Saratoga Performing Arts Center,Hollywood Bowl, Blossom Music Festival, andFestival Napa Valley. Summer 2018 saw hisdebuts at the Grand Teton Music Festival andMusic Academy of the West, and in 2019 he leada major US tour with the Brussels Philharmonic. InDecember 2020 he conducted the RoyalStockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and pianistIgor Levit at the 2020 Nobel Prize Concert inStockholm.

He enjoys close relationships with many of theworld’s leading solo artists, including Jean-YvesThibaudet, Yo-Yo Ma, Nikolaj Znaider, JamesEhnes, Leif Ove Andsnes, Leonidas Kavakos,

aNicholas Angelich, Lang Lang, Frank PeterZimmermann, Gil Shaham, Emanuel Ax, Renaudand Gautier Capuçon, Lars Vogt, NikolaiLugansky, Paul Lewis, Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn,and Augustin Hadelich.

In the field of opera, Stéphane Denève has ledproductions at the Royal Opera House CoventGarden, Glyndebourne Festival, La Scala,Deutsche Oper Berlin, Saito Kinen Festival, GranTeatro de Liceu, Dutch National Opera, LaMonnaie, Deutsche Oper Am Rhein, and at theOpéra National de Paris.

As a recording artist, he has won critical acclaimfor his recordings of the works of Poulenc,Debussy, Ravel, Roussel, Franck and Connesson.He is a triple winner of the Diapason d’Or of theYear, has been shortlisted for Gramophone’sArtist of the Year Award, and has been awardedan International Classical Music Awards twice. Hismost recent releases include a live recording of

aHonegger’s Jeanne d’arc au bûcher with theRoyal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and two discsof the works of Guillaume Connesson with theBrussels Philharmonic (the first of which wasawarded the Diapason d’Or de l’année, CaeciliaAward, and Classica Magazine’s CHOC of theYear).

A graduate and prize-winner of the ParisConservatoire, Stéphane Denève worked closelyin his early career with Sir Georg Solti, GeorgesPrêtre and Seiji Ozawa. A gifted communicatorand educator, he is committed to inspiring thenext generation of musicians and listeners, andhas worked regularly with young people inprogrammes such as those of the TanglewoodMusic Center, New World Symphony, theColburn School, and the Music Academy of theWest.

www.stephanedeneve.com

aBRUSSELS PHILHARMONIC

The Brussels Philharmonic was founded in 1935by the Belgian public broadcaster (NationalBroadcasting Institute (NIR/INR)). Since itscreation, it has worked with top internationalconductors and soloists. The orchestra was and isknown to be a pioneer in performingcontemporary music – a reputation that broughtworld-renowned composers such as Bartók,Stravinsky and Messiaen to Brussels. To this day,the Brussels Philharmonic is continuing thistradition, including a 21st-century work in almostevery concert programme. The orchestra’shistoric home port is the Flagey building inBrussels, the heart of Europe, where it rehearsesand performs in Studio 4 – in acoustic terms oneof the top concert halls in the world – and whichserves as its home base for concerts in Belgiumand the rest of the world.

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The French top conductor Stéphane Denève isthe music director of the Brussels Philharmonic.His passion for 21st-century music and personalmission to create dialogue between therepertoire of the past and the future is fully inkeeping with the orchestra’s DNA. Thiscommitment finds expression not only in theconcert programmes and recordings, but also inthe CffOR platform (Centre for Future OrchestralRepertoire). This online database seeks to collectcore information about symphonic compositionssince the year 2000, and thus to initiate a broadinternational dialogue about compositions thatwill withstand the test of time.

At the international level, the BrusselsPhilharmonic has made a name for itself, withregular appearances in the major Europeanvenues and festivals, such as the Philharmonie deParis, Wiener Musikverein, Grosses FestspielhausSalzburg, Usher Hall in Edinburgh and Cadogan

aHall in London. The international representationby IMG Touring brings further tours and concertson new stages both in Europe and beyond (e.g.Japan in 2017, North America in 2019). In March2019, the Brussels Philharmonic made its debutin Carnegie Hall, New York. Another speciality forwhich the Brussels Philharmonic has gained aninternational reputation is the recording ofsoundtracks for series, games and films, includingthe Oscar-winning score for ‘The Artist’ (music byLudovic Bource). In Belgium, the orchestra is aregular partner of the Film Fest Gent and ofMotorMusic, and participates each year inconcerts with iconic films (both blockbusters withaward-winning scores and black-and-whiteclassics with a new soundtrack).

Meanwhile, the orchestra has proven to be apioneer in other respects as well. Besides itsground-breaking initiatives under way, includingthe Tax Shelter, the establishment of a foundationfor the purchase of string instruments, and more

arecently the partnership with Brussels Airlines, theorchestra embraces innovation in every area andall levels of its activities. The gentlemen of theorchestra are dressed by Café Costume in thecustom designed Symphonic Sporting Jacket,with technical innovations in the field of fabricand cut.

The various CD series recorded by the BrusselsPhilharmonic (Deutsche Grammophon, PalazzettoBru Zane, Warner/Erato Classics, Film Fest Gent,Brussels Philharmonic Recordings) have receivedinternational acclaim, with awards such as theECHO Klassik, the Caecilia prize, the CHOC ofthe Year by Classica and a Diapason d’Or of theYear. Deutsche Grammophon released 4 CDsunder the baton of Stéphane Denève: one withmusic by Prokofiev, two CDs dedicated to the21st-century repertoire of Guillaume Connesson(including the double CD titled Lost Horizon withsoloists Renaud Capuçon and Timothy McAllister)and most recently an album featuring the cello

aconcerto of Fazil Say with soloist CamilleThomas.

The Brussels Philharmonic is an institution of theFlemish Community.

www.brusselsphilharmonic.be

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aMUSICIANS

BRUSSELS PHILHARMONIC

(1) principal / (2) soloist

first violinNadja Nevolovitsch (1), Bart Lemmens (2),Olivia Bergeot, Eva Bobrowska, AnneliesBroeckhoven, Cristina Constantinescu, JustineRigutto, Elizaveta Rybentseva, Alissa Vaitsner,Gillis Veldeman

second violinSamuel Nemtanu (1), Aline Janeczek, SayokoMundy, Naoko Ogura, Eline Pauwels, Julien Poli,Stefanie Van Backlé, Bram Van Eenoo

violaMihai Cocea (1), Griet François (2), PhilippeAllard, Agnieszka Kosakowska, StephanUelpenich, Patricia Van Reusel

acelloKarel Steylaerts (1), Barbara Gerarts, SophieJomard, Emmanuel Tondus, Elke Wynants

double bassJan Buysschaert (1), Thomas Fiorini, Simon Luce

fluteLieve Schuermans (1), Jill Jeschek (2)

oboeJoris Van den Hauwe(1), Maarten Wijnen

clarinetMaura Marinucci (1), Midori Mori (2)

bassoonKarsten Przybyl (1), Kensuke Taira (2)

french hornHans van der Zanden (1), Mieke Ailliet (2), MarliesCallebert, Quinten De Gelaen (2)

atrumpetWard Hoornaert (1)

tromboneTim Van Medegael (2)

tubaJean Xhonneux (2)

timpaniGert François (1)

percussionGert D'haese (2), Tom De Cock (2),Titus Franken (2), Stijn Schoofs (2)

harpEline Groslot (2)

celestaAnastasia Goldberg (2)

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