Brussels is set to play host to a series of much-awaited four concerts dedicated to Johann Sebastian Bach.
They start this Saturday (June 13) and continue on June 20 and 27, and July 4, at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula. It is organised by the Ars in Cathedrali association.
From noon to 12.45pm, the world famous German composer will be celebrated by organists Ben Van Nespen, Charlène Bertholet, Annelies Focquaert, and Momoyo Kokubu.
The concerts will take place in the Cathedral Choir, where the organ built by Brussels organ builder Patrick Collon in 1977 is located. Baroque music, including, of course, that of Bach, sounds particularly good on this organ.
The instrument is inspired by the sound of the organs built during Bach’s time by Gottfried Silbermann (1683-1753), which are located in Saxony and Thuringia.
The “Bach ad Meridiem” series is a unique opportunity to hear the works of Bach on an instrument that truly does him justice.
The full programme is here:
- Saturday, June 13: Ben Van Nespen
Born in Antwerp, Van Nespen gave his first organ recital at the age of 15, performing the complete cycle “La Nativité du Seigneur” by Olivier Messiaen. He has received numerous awards, played with leading Baroque ensembles, and performed throughout most of Europe.
A soloist on both organ and harpsichord, he performs a wide repertoire spanning the 16th to the 21st centuries and has premiered several works by Flemish composers.
- Saturday, June 20: Charlène Bertholet
Pianist and organist Bertholet performs regularly in both disciplines, both in Belgium and throughout Europe. She participates in international festivals such as Toulouse les Orgues, L’Europe & l’Orgue in Maastricht, the Toul Bach Festival, and the Gothenburg International Organ Academy.
Since 2024, she has been a Young Ambassador for ECHO (European Cities of Historical Organ).
She performs both as a soloist and in ensembles and is a member of early music groups such as Ensemble Myosotis and the Komorebi Consort.
- Saturday, June 27: Annelies Focquaert (pictured)
Focquaert graduated from organ school in Antwerp in 2001. In 2014, she defended her doctoral thesis in Arts on the life and work of the Belgian organist Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens at AUHA (University of Art and History).
She has been coordinator for ‘Het Orgel in Vlaanderen vzw’ (The Organ in Flanders) and research assistant at the Studiecentrum voor Vlaamse Muziek vzw (Center for Flemish Music). She teaches organ and harpsichord and, since 2015, has been the titular organist of St. George’s Church in Antwerp. Annelies performs in Belgium and many other European countries.
- Saturday, July 4: Momoyo Kokubu
Kokubu was born in Osaka, Japan. After Tokyo, she continued her studies in organ, harpsichord, piano, and early music at the Royal College of Music in London.
She moved to Belgium in 1995. She has won numerous international awards and was a finalist in the International Organ Competitions in Freiberg and Maastricht.
Momoyo is the titular organist of the Loret organ at the Church of Our Lady of Finistère in Brussels, where she has organized the “Organ Mondays” series since 2000. Momoyo has recorded six CDs of works by J.S. Bach and C. Franck, which have received awards for best recordings from the Japanese magazine “Record Geijyutsu.”
Info
Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula – St. Gudula Square – 1000 Brussels. Open from 11.30 am
Reservations: arsincathedrali@gmail.com
Admission: €10 per adult – free for those under 18
Website: https://www.cathedralisbruxellensis.be/bach-ad-meridiem
