Over eight days, works of composers persecuted by totalitarian regimes were performed in various venues in Brussels by critically acclaimed artists. The first edition covered the 20th century. Every concert was dedicated to a personality whose life has particularly influenced the lives of others.
The works chosen by the musicians were accompanied by a testimony from Anita Lasker Wallfisch (Sunday 20th January, at the Jewish Museum) and readings from texts by Jan Karski (Tuesday 22nd January, at the Embassy of Poland) and Lado Asatiani (Friday 25th January, at the Embassy of Georgia), as well as film and photo projections. The festival closed on Sunday, January 27th, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau camps.
Jewish Museum — 18:00
Rue des Minimes 21, 1000 Bruxelles
Mieczysław Weinberg, Suite n°1 for cello solo
Johann Sebastian Bach, Suite for cello solo n°2 BWV 1008
Johann Sebastian Bach, 3 Two-part inventions
Erwin Schulhoff, Sonata for violin and cello
Raphaël Wallfisch — cello
Philippe Graffin — violin
Chapelle Royale — 19:00
Rue du Musée 2, 1000 Bruxelles
Ernest Bloch, Nigun
Viktor Ullmann, Liederbuch des Hafis op. 30 (1940)
Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Much ado about nothing, for violin and piano
Pavel Haas, 4 songs on Chinese pœms (1944)
Karl Weigl, Cello sonata
Hans Gál, 5 songs op. 33 (extracts) (1917-1921)
Fritz Kreisler, Miniature viennese march, for violin and piano
Simon Wallfisch – baritone
Raphaël Wallfisch – cello
Edward Rushton – piano
Philippe Graffin – violin
Katsura Mizumoto – piano
Polish Embassy — 19:00
Avenue des Gaulois 29, 1040 Bruxelles
Grażyna Bacewicz, Quartetto for four violins (1949) / Three roses for voice and piano
Szymon Laks, Passacaille (Vocalise) for cello and piano
Joachim Mendelson, Quintet for piano, obœ and string trio (1939)
Władysław Szpilman, Quiet night for voice and piano
Aleksander Tansman, Romance for violin and piano (1918-19)
Encore: Jerzy Petersburski, Old Polish tango “The last Sunday” (1935) arr. for string quartet
Bernadetta Grabias – mezzosoprano
Monika Darzinkeviciute – piano
Kaja Nowak – violin
Natalia Kotarba – violin
Philippe Graffin - violin
Diede Verpœst – violin, viola
Agnieszka Kołodziej – cello
Capucine Prin – obœ
Fondation Thalie – 19:00
Rue Buchholtz 15, 1050 Bruxelles
Johannes Brahms, Clarinet quintet
Fritz Kreisler, String quartet
Philippe Graffin – violin
Chikako Hosoda – violin
Raphael Bell – cello
Tony Nys – viola
Chen Halevi – clarinet
Chapelle Royale – 19:00
Rue du Musée 2, 1000 Bruxelles
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Theme and variations in F major K377
Gustav Mahler, String quartet
Gideon Klein, String trio
Ernest Bloch, Sonata n°1 for violin and piano
Max Bruch, Kol nidrei
Michael Guttman – violin
Jing Zhao – cello
Pierre Henri Xuereb – viola
Bernard Godeaux – piano
Georgian Embassy – 18:00
Rue Père Eudore Devroye 245, 1150 Bruxelles
Nodar Gabunia, Improvisation and Toccata
Dmitri Shostakovich, Cello sonata
Dmitri Shostakovich, Piano quintet
Nino Gvetadze – piano
Philippe Graffin – violin
Chikako Hosoda – violin
Clément Holvœt – viola
Elia Cohen Weissert – cello
Amy Norrington – cello
Jean-Philippe Altenloh – lecture
SATURDAY 26 JANUARY
Concert dedicated to George Enescu
At Maria Grazia Tanese – 18:00
Rue Guillaume Stocq 31, 1050 Bruxelles
Felix Mendelssohn, Piano trio n°2
Ernest Bloch, From Jewish life
Georges Enesco, Sonata n°3, in Romanian folk style
Gary Hoffman – cello
Katsura Mizumoto – piano
Philippe Graffin – violin
SUNDAY 27 JANUARY
Concert dedicated to Varian Fry
Royal Conservatory of Brussels – 15:00
Rue de la Régence, 1000 Bruxelles
Gustav Mahler, Adagietto from Symphony n°5
Karl Weigl, Ein stelldichein, for voice and string sextet
Maurice Ravel, Two Hebrew melodies
Maurice Ravel, Tzigane
Karl Weigl, Rhapsody for string orchestra
Students of Royal Conservatory
Philippe Graffin – violin, direction
Justus Grimm – cello
Clotilde Van Dieren – mezzosoprano