This production is realized with the support of the Tax Sheltermeasure of the Belgian Federal Government through Flanders Tax Shelter.
Friday, September 18
Cathedral, 8:00 p.m.
B'Rock Orchestra
Céline Scheen, soprano
Philippe Jaroussky, countertenor and artistic leadership
Evgeny Sviridov, concertmaster and soloist
David Wish, Ellie Nimeroski, Svetlana Ramazanova, violin 1
Yukie Yamaguchi, Gisela Cammaert, Naoko Ogura, Shiho Ono, violin 2
Dasa Valentová, Luis Manuel Beltrán, Luc Gysbregts, viola
Rebecca Rosen, Julien Barre, cello
Elise Christiaens, double bass
Andreas Küppers, organ & harpsichord
Karl Nyhlin, lute
Festive Opening
City, Court and Church - Vivaldi, Benda and Pergolesi
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto for Strings in G Minor, RV 157
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Antonio Vivaldi
Filiae Maestae Jerusalem, RV 638
Filiae maestae Jerusalem
Sileant zephyri
Sed tenebris diffusis
František Benda
Concerto for Violin in B-flat Major
Allegro
Adagio
Presto
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Stabat Mater
Stabat Mater dolorosa
Cujus animam gementem
O quam tristis et afflicta
Quæ mœrebat et dolebat - Pro peccatis suæ gentis
Quis est homo qui non fleret
Vidit suum dulcem natum
Eja Mater fons amoris
Fac, ut ardeat cor meum (Fuga)
Sancta Mater, istud agas
Fac ut portem Christi mortem
Inflammatus et accensus
Quando corpus morietur - Amen
Philippe Jaroussky is one of the most distinguished artists on today’s international music scene. His exceptional career has been recognised with numerous awards, including the Victoires de la Musique Classique (Best New Artist in 2004, Artist of the Year in 2007 and 2010, and the Victoire d'honneur in recognition of his lifetime achievement in 2020), as well as the Echo Klassik Awards for Singer of the Year (2005, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016) and Recording of the Year (2009 and 2012). He has collaborated with the world’s leading Baroque ensembles, appearing at the most prestigious festivals and in the foremost concert halls worldwide. His Baroque repertoire spans the entire period, from the early seventeenth century, represented by the works of Claudio Monteverdi and Luigi Rossi, to the mid-eighteenth century and the music of Antonio Vivaldi and George Frideric Handel. He has also played a significant role in reviving the music of lesser-known composers such as Nicola Porpora, Antonio Caldara, Agostino Steffani, Georg Philipp Telemann and Johann Christian Bach. At the same time, he explores the distinctly different world of French art song from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, in collaboration with pianist Jérôme Ducros and guitarist Thibaut Garcia. A passionate advocate of contemporary music, Jaroussky has also given several world premieres, including Kaija Saariaho's opera Only the Sound Remains, written especially for him. Alongside his long-standing collaborations with L'Arpeggiata, Ensemble Matheus and Les Arts Florissants, he founded his own ensemble, Ensemble Artaserse, in 2002, with which he performs internationally and has recorded numerous albums. In recent years, he has also established himself as a conductor, leading concerts in Paris, Lyon, Montpellier and Budapest, as well as oratorio and operatic productions at major festivals, including Salzburg, Épau and Halle, and at leading opera houses. For many years, Philippe Jaroussky has been an exclusive recording artist with Erato Records / Warner Classics, and his recordings—particularly those with Ensemble Artaserse—have received numerous international awards. Alongside his extensive concert and recording career, he is actively involved in music education through the Académie Philippe Jaroussky, which supports young musicians. In 2009, he was made a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government, and in 2019 he was promoted to the rank of Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters.
After studying at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Céline Scheen continued her training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London with Vera Rosza, where she specialised in early music. She performs regularly at leading international festivals and concert venues under the baton of conductors including Leonardo García Alarcón, Ivor Bolton, René Jacobs, Andrea Marcon, Christina Pluhar, Christophe Rousset and Jordi Savall. Although she has appeared to great acclaim in operas by Mozart, Gluck, Monteverdi, Cavalli, Rameau and John Blow, Scheen regards concert performance as the core of her artistic activity. Her repertoire ranges from Renaissance music to the late Baroque, while also encompassing occasional projects devoted to contemporary music. She has taken part in numerous recording projects with leading period-instrument ensembles and conductors, including Musica Antiqua Köln, La Cappella Mediterranea, Les Talens Lyriques, Ricercar Consort and Le Banquet Céleste. For many years she has enjoyed a close artistic collaboration with Christina Pluhar and her ensemble L'Arpeggiata, with whom she regularly tours throughout Europe, North America and Asia. Together with Philippe Jaroussky, she recorded the album Himmelsmusik (Erato), which was nominated for a Grammy Award. Alongside her concert and operatic career, she is actively involved in interdisciplinary artistic projects combining music, dance and contemporary media. Since 2019, she has been Professor of Voice at the Royal Conservatory of Liège.
Founded in 2005 in Ghent, Belgium, B’Rock Orchestra has kept its founders’ passion for Baroque music and a commitment to pushing the boundaries of traditional performance practices. The ensemble's name reflects its intent to bring a fresh, energetic approach to the interpretation of early music, with a contemporary edge. Prominent musicians, but also visual artists and thinkers make up its Artistic Family. From its inception, B’Rock Orchestra was guided by a mission to explore the full expressive potential of period instruments, while engaging with a wide range of musical styles and eras. This innovative approach has earned the ensemble a reputation for its bold programming and inventive performances. B’Rock Orchestra’s repertoire spans five centuries, ranging from the masterpieces of the Baroque period to contemporary works. With the Vocal Consort, B’Rock has expanded its repertoire working with like-minded singers. B’Rock Orchestra also engages with contemporary societal issues through its artistic concepts and educational initiatives, which deepen connections with audiences and nurture future talent.
B’Rock Orchestra enjoys long-term links with production and presentation partners such as DE SINGEL International Arts Centre, Muziektheater Transparant (Antwerp), KASK & Conservatorium Ghent, International Opera Academy (Ghent), and Opéra de Rouen (France). B’Rock Orchestra is a regular guest at Concertgebouw Brugge, Muziekcentrum De Bijloke (Ghent), Bozar (Brussels), Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, Amare Den Haag, Kölner Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and Beethovenfest Bonn.
Recent highlights include a tour of six European cities with Carmen (1874 version) and a trip to Korea and Japan with Handel’s Il trionfo del Tempo, both conducted by René Jacobs; the dance and theatre productions Torment of Hearts by Femke Gyselinck (GRIP), Eat me by Aïda Gabriëls (Oester, Transparant & B-Classic), Chapters of Celebration by Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe and Wouter Deltour (Transparant), and La révolution de Carmen (Opera2Day, NL); and collaborations with soloists such as Jeanine De Bique, Alexander Melnikov, Lucie Horsch, Olga Pashchenko, and Elisabeth Hetherington..
After productions for Klara, BR Klassik, and Archiv, B’Rock Orchestra now records for Pentatone. Recent releases include Handel: Water & Fire, the requiems by Philippus van Steelant, as well as Schubert’s complete symphonies led by René Jacobs.