door Wynold Verweij Of French composer Erik Satie, much is gradually becoming known but still little understood. The theme day Satie s’amuse , which Festival 20.21 dedicated to him last Sunday, showed that he himself did not want much else, it was the core of his marketing strategy. The programmers had chosen his lesser-known works,Continue reading “Erik Satie: the mysterious irony of an outsider”
Tag Archives: Jan Michiels
Festival 20·21 en Transit willen oren en geest openzetten
Festival 20•21 en Transit, het jaarlijkse twee-in-één muziekfeest van de 20e en 21e eeuw, hebben dit jaar gekozen voor diversiteit en verrijking van de muzikale smaak met vooral Vlaamse musici. Het motto luidt “open geest, open oren”. De centrale figuur in Festival 20•21 is pianist Jan Michiels. Hij is een oude bekende van hetContinue reading “Festival 20·21 en Transit willen oren en geest openzetten”
Karel Goeyvaerts: van radicale vernieuwer tot frisse laatbloeier
Afgelopen donderdag was het festival Lunalia 2023 gewijd aan het werk van Karel Goeyvaerts (1923 – 1993), de Belgische componist die in zijn carrière alle kleuren van de regenboog heeft gezien. Een oefening in muzikale meertaligheid. Het ensemble I Solisti (dirigent Filip Rathé), Liesbeth Devos (sopraan) en Jan Michiels (piano) gaven in zes stukken een overzichtContinue reading “Karel Goeyvaerts: van radicale vernieuwer tot frisse laatbloeier”
Jan Michiels plays sparkling timbres in concerto Annelies Van Parys
By Wynold Verweij Those who think that balancing exercises mainly belong in a gym are wrong since last Saturday. In Annelies Van Parys’ piano concerto, Jan Michiels (piano) and Martyn Brabbins (conductor) with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra showed that a sophisticated tuning of timbre, nuance and tempo can lead to an intense listening experience. TheContinue reading “Jan Michiels plays sparkling timbres in concerto Annelies Van Parys”
Annelies Van Parys: my “illness” is that I am always trying different things
On 27 (Ghent) and 28 May (Antwerp), the world premiere of Annelies Van Parys’ piano concerto will take place. She has developed an impressive portfolio of chamber music, orchestral works, vocal and music theatre in which timbre is central. A conversation about the creation of this concerto, the challenges of contemporary classical music and aboutContinue reading “Annelies Van Parys: my “illness” is that I am always trying different things”
Jan Michiels revives Marcel Proust musically
Marcel Proust’s iconic chronicle A la recherche du temps perdu has been given a contemporary interpretation in a beautifully crafted recital by pianist Jan Michiels, complemented by live electronics (Juan Parra) and video art (Lise Bruyneel). The concert, last Saturday in De Singel in Antwerp, was announced as a cathedral of piano music, partly toContinue reading “Jan Michiels revives Marcel Proust musically”
The slow hands of Jan Michiels
Transit 2021 honours the piano as a spiritual medium Slowly, after the last stanza by Osvaldo Coluccino, Jan Michiels’ hands slide from the keys to the edge of the keyboard. They form fists that rest on his knees. It is finished, silence and repentance have been stretched to the limit. The recital has ended, nowContinue reading “The slow hands of Jan Michiels”