Daan Vandewalle

American composer Frederic Rzewski lived in Brussels from 1977 onwards and was one of the leading performers and advocates of John Cage’s work. He also composed several iconic works of his own, most notably The People United Will Never Be Defeated! This monumental cycle of piano variations can rightly take its place alongside Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. Inspired by Sergio Ortega Alvarado’s Chilean protest anthem ¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido! (from which the piece takes its title), Rzewski composed thirty-six intricate and fiendishly difficult variations that blend Chilean folk melodies with complex European counterpoint. Daan Vandewalle, one of Rzewski’s leading interpreters and close friends, performs the complete cycle, which he will also release as an album. This concert forms part of the Echoes of Brussels series, that throughout the season highlights some of the most memorable creations and figures associated with the capital.