1. Experience a striking interplay of music and image
Three conductors, a choir, a big band, an orchestra and plenty of ambition: that’s what it takes to bring TRIO by Danish composer Simon Steen-Andersen to life. Archival footage from the Südwestrundfunk (SWR) archives also plays a central role. Short fragments, some lasting just a fraction of a second, come together to form a collage of familiar musical memories. For this large-scale multimedia spectacle, the Vlaams Radiokoor, Brussels Jazz Orchestra and Brussels Philharmonic join forces on 27 November.
2. Discover a multifaceted sound world
In Gruppen, an iconic work by Karlheinz Stockhausen, the Brussels Philharmonic is divided into three orchestral groups. On 29 January, you find yourself right in the middle of the music, experiencing it from a unique perspective. The title does not refer to the three orchestral groups, but to the 174 ‘components’ that make up the composition. Each component consists of a group of notes linked by one or more shared characteristics, such as dynamics, timbre or register. At Bozar, Gruppen will be performed twice, just as it was at its premiere in Cologne in 1958. During the second performance, you can change seats and experience the music from yet another perspective
3. Immerse yourself in complete darkness
With the lights out, you experience In Vain on 1 May in complete darkness, allowing you to focus entirely on its intricate interplay of sounds. Conducted by Filip Rathé, the virtuoso Spectra Ensemble and Ensemble Multilatérale bring this impressive work by Austrian composer Georg Friedrich Haas to life. The piece is widely regarded as one of the masterpieces of contemporary music.
4. Explore Brussels as a musical landscape
On 9 May, City of Floating Sounds transforms Brussels into a musical landscape. Rather than heading straight to Bozar, you set off from one of several meeting points across the city. Using a specially developed app, you walk through the streets while listening to excerpts from Huang Ruo’s composition. All routes eventually converge at Bozar, where the full composition is performed live by 80 musicians of the Belgian National Orchestra, conducted by Jessica Cottis.
5. Step into a unique listening experience
In METAXIS, it is not just the audience that moves beyond the traditional concert hall: the orchestra spreads out across the three floors of the Galerie Ravenstein’s rotunda. On 21 June, you are free to move among the musicians of the Belgian National Orchestra. Composer in focus Anna Thorvaldsdottir offers a new way of listening: a unique sensory experience that allows you to feel music from within.
