Brecht Valckenaers, Jan Michiels
Selbstporträt mit Ligeti und Nancarrow (und Valckenaers ist auch dabei)
Last year, our Festival artist in residence Brecht Valckenaers pulled out all the stops with a brilliant piano recital, centred around Ligeti’s Musica Ricercata. His stunning performance prompted Festival 20·21 to create a four-year Ligeti cycle.
This year’s point of departure is Ligeti’s works for two pianos. Brecht chose as his companion pianist Jan Michiels, who has loved and performed Ligeti’s music for over thirty years now.
In this new programme, the two will alternate pieces by Ligeti with compositions by Conlon Nancarrow, one of the 20th century’s greatest adventurers in rhythm. Besides seeking out the boundaries of playability, Nancarrow catapults the listener into an unlikely new musical universe.
Valckenaers will again enrich the debate by intervening between these two masters as a composer, thereby taking his modest but distinctive place in this ‘self-portrait with Ligeti and Nancarrow.’
Programme
INTRO (Dutch only)
Pieter Bergé
CONCERT
Nancarrow: For Ligeti transcription for two pianos
Ligeti: Sonatine
Nancarrow: Studies nos. 20, 26 & 7 for player piano transcription for two pianos
Valckenaers: Drie stukken voor twee piano’s (Three Pieces for Two Pianos) world premiere
Nancarrow: Sonatine
Ligeti:Drei Stücke für zwei Klaviere
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Tips
Besides seeking out the boundaries of playability, Nancarrow catapults the listener into an unlikely new musical universe.
Performers
Brecht Valckenaers
Brecht Valckenaers (°2000, Leuven) is a versatile pianist and composer who combines his love of classical and contemporary repertoire with his own compositions and improvisation. He is driven by a desire to constantly explore and push his musical boundaries. After a celebrated passage at Festival 20·21 in 2024 with his project Ex Nihilo, Valckenaers will be Festivalartist-in-Residence there in the coming editions. Ex Nihilo will be released as an album by Evil Penguin Classic in spring 2026.
Jan Michiels
Pianist Jan Michiels has been known for his very personal and multi-layered approach to the piano repertoire, combining old and new in always changing perspectives. He composes his programs through a continuous dialogue with living music history. As such, Michiels worked closely with composers such as György Kurtág, Karel Goeyvaerts and Kris Defoort.
Tickets
€ 25