Brecht Valckenaers

Youth seeks youth in this concert. While still young, Ligeti wrote Musica Ricercata, literally a musical search for himself. With each new piece he broadens his sights, from two to twelve notes, hurtling through a huge variety of musical landscapes. 

Pianist-composer Brecht Valckenaers is now going to follow Ligeti’s footsteps. With Musica Ricercata in hand, he’s plotting out an original course: he makes little forays into works from the greater piano repertoire, while also composing a number of interludes that blaze new trails between some well-trodden paths.

Sometimes you can find great musicians practically in your own back garden. Brecht Valckenaers is a genuine ‘Leuvenaar’, and in the last few years he has profiled himself more strongly as a born musician. An accomplished pianist, he already has a huge repertoire at his fingertips, much of it music from the 20th century. But Valckenaers also profiles himself as a composer, one who enjoys a dialogue with his great predecessors.