October 19, 2024
CC Mechelen
Venue: Stadsschouwburg
Country: BEL

Oh, Flemish Polyphonists, how little do we know about you, how poorly is our understanding of your era and how deaf have we been for these magnificent first steps of beyond Gregorian…

Until now! 

The starting point is Belgian/Flemish polyphonic music composed between 1300 and 1600, i.e. music that already had a European colour from a historical perspective, long before the concept of modern Europe emerged. Composers such as Johannes Ockeghem, Orlandus Lassus, Philippus De Monte or Jacob Obrecht brought ‘Flemish’ music to the whole of Europe, building cultural bridges thanks to their compositions. Precisely for this reason, we choose to give the project an international character by using composers from different European countries during the creation process.
Flemish composers’ scores will be picked up, reread, deconstructed and reconstructed from the point of view of 7 different European composers from no less than 6 different European countries. Flemish polyphonic music will serve as the basis and inspiration for the creation of a totally new repertoire for a crossover orchestra between contemporary jazz and early music.


With the support of city festival Construct Europe.