An Orient imagined by Europe
CONFERENCES
Maison CFC
03/07 - 18:00
05/07 - 17:00
06/07 - 11:00 > 16:00
Free admission
03/07 - 18:00
05/07 - 17:00
06/07 - 11:00 > 16:00
Free admission
The 4th component of our festival programme are our free cultural conferences in the bookshop at Maison CFC. Each year, these presentations allow us to put our opera productions in a larger historical context in order to make them even more accessible for our audiences. They also help us to raise public awareness of and appreciation for little-known Mozart-era heritage sites in Brussels and to unite all the cultural actors located on the square around a single initiative. This year, we are pleased to pursue this collaboration with two captivating conferences and a one-of-a-kind guided tour of the square.
Wednesday 03/07 - 18:00
in Dutch
Mozart alla turca - Orientalism in Western music
in Dutch
Mozart alla turca - Orientalism in Western music
It is remarkable that in Age of the Enlightenment, often considered the ultimate triumph of Western culture, art turned its gaze to the East. In the 18th century, the attraction of the mysterious Orient fuelled the curiosity of writers, painters and composers. Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Mozart's first breakthrough as an opera composer, is the most famous example of Orientalism in music; Die Zauberflöte also clearly bears its traces. Many interpret the 18th-century interest in Eastern mysticism as a form of intellectual imperialism: as a unilateral attempt to westernise Eastern culture under the flag of the Enlightenment. Or is there actually mutual influence at work here? After all, the typically Oriental fascination with the spiritual and the unknown seems to be a major step towards Western Romanticism. In addition, a good many 18th-century scores are dotted with orientally-inspired musical decorations. Using concrete examples, this conference provides an overview of the relationship between the Orient and Europe in 18th-century musical culture.
Arne Herman holds a master’s degree in Musicology and a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the Catholic University of Leuven, as well as a master’s degree in Clarinet from the LUCA School of the Arts. After his studies, he interned at the dramaturgy departments of Opera Vlaanderen in Antwerp and the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels. In recent years, he has regularly given pre-performance presentations for both opera houses, deSingel, the Concertgebouw Brugge, the Flanders Festival and the Davidsfonds. Since October 2016, he has been a doctoral researcher at the University of Antwerp. In 2017, his book Gesamtkunstwerk: de ontwikkeling van een idee was published by Leuven-based publishers Peeters. In 2019, this dedicated, young musicologist will participate in our festival for the third time.
Arne Herman holds a master’s degree in Musicology and a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the Catholic University of Leuven, as well as a master’s degree in Clarinet from the LUCA School of the Arts. After his studies, he interned at the dramaturgy departments of Opera Vlaanderen in Antwerp and the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels. In recent years, he has regularly given pre-performance presentations for both opera houses, deSingel, the Concertgebouw Brugge, the Flanders Festival and the Davidsfonds. Since October 2016, he has been a doctoral researcher at the University of Antwerp. In 2017, his book Gesamtkunstwerk: de ontwikkeling van een idee was published by Leuven-based publishers Peeters. In 2019, this dedicated, young musicologist will participate in our festival for the third time.
Friday 05/07 - 17:00
in French
Orientalism in the Age of Enlightenment: a reflection of the Orient or a mirror of Europe?
in French
Orientalism in the Age of Enlightenment: a reflection of the Orient or a mirror of Europe?
Since the Renaissance, the taste of Western readers for stories of travels in the East had not ceased to grow, but it was the French translation of Les Mille et une nuits by Antoine Galland which, from 1704 onwards, launched a real Orientalist trend. While Galland’s intent was to initiate Europeans in the diversities of Eastern cultures, his work served more to fuel his readers’ fantasies: as Edward Said demonstrated, all these Orientalist writings enlighten us chiefly on the European imagination, or rather European fantasies about real or imagined differences in sexual, aesthetic, moral and political practices. It is in this fantasized Orient that Voltaire places Zadig and Lessing his Nathan der Weise. It is in this same universe that Mozart, in various ways, places many of his works from Il re pastore to Thamos, from Die Entfühtung aus dem Serail to Così fan tutte... not to forget his Turkish March.
Manuel Couvreur is a doctor in Philosophy and Literature, a qualified honorary researcher at the FNRS and a member of the Belgian Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts. Professor at the Free University of Brussels, he teaches the history of French literature, the comparative history of the arts in the 17th and 18th centuries, the history of the lyrical genre, as well as the history of recorded music. His thesis on tragedy in French music was published under the title Jean-Baptiste Lully : musique et dramaturgie au service du prince (1992). He is the author of numerous articles and studies on the relationship between music and literature in France in the 17th and 18th centuries. The collective work Le plaisir musical en France au XVIIe siècle, which he published with Thierry Favier, was awarded the Prix des Muses (2006). He directed a five-volume series on the history of the Théâtre royal de la Monnaie in Brussels (1996-2010). His critical edition of Antoine Galland's translation of Les Mille et une nuit was published in 2016 by Éditions Champion. He is currently conducting research on the theatrical and musical patronage of Maximilian II Emanuel and Joseph Clemens of Bavaria in the Hainaut and and the Hauts-de-France regions. After having assured the critical editions of several literary works by Prince Charles-Joseph de Ligne (Œuvres romanesques, in collaboration with Roland Mortier; Coup d’œil sur Belœil), he has co-authored Cinquante nuances de rose - Les affinités électives du prince de Ligne and begun work on a monograph on this author's collected works.
Manuel Couvreur is a doctor in Philosophy and Literature, a qualified honorary researcher at the FNRS and a member of the Belgian Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts. Professor at the Free University of Brussels, he teaches the history of French literature, the comparative history of the arts in the 17th and 18th centuries, the history of the lyrical genre, as well as the history of recorded music. His thesis on tragedy in French music was published under the title Jean-Baptiste Lully : musique et dramaturgie au service du prince (1992). He is the author of numerous articles and studies on the relationship between music and literature in France in the 17th and 18th centuries. The collective work Le plaisir musical en France au XVIIe siècle, which he published with Thierry Favier, was awarded the Prix des Muses (2006). He directed a five-volume series on the history of the Théâtre royal de la Monnaie in Brussels (1996-2010). His critical edition of Antoine Galland's translation of Les Mille et une nuit was published in 2016 by Éditions Champion. He is currently conducting research on the theatrical and musical patronage of Maximilian II Emanuel and Joseph Clemens of Bavaria in the Hainaut and and the Hauts-de-France regions. After having assured the critical editions of several literary works by Prince Charles-Joseph de Ligne (Œuvres romanesques, in collaboration with Roland Mortier; Coup d’œil sur Belœil), he has co-authored Cinquante nuances de rose - Les affinités électives du prince de Ligne and begun work on a monograph on this author's collected works.
Saturday 06/07 - 11:00 > 16:00 (in front of Maison CFC)
in French
“Flashkask”: fun walking tours around the square
Reservations by email only to [email protected]
Departure in front of Maison CFC (14, place des Martyrs)
Schedule: 11:00 / 12:00 / 13:00 / 14:00 / 15:00
in French
“Flashkask”: fun walking tours around the square
Reservations by email only to [email protected]
Departure in front of Maison CFC (14, place des Martyrs)
Schedule: 11:00 / 12:00 / 13:00 / 14:00 / 15:00
Imagine, on the Place des Martyrs, a farandole that moves about in unison, dances, gestures, applauds, for no readily apparent reason… “Flashkask” is an original and offbeat audio tour, directly inspired by the square in which it takes place. Equipped with headphones, participants follow the instructions of a strange duo of actresses who take them on a journey. Throughout the tour, they learn bit-by-bit stories about the square, its history and its former residents. They discover details in their surroundings that they had never noticed before and, following their guide’s instructions, dance, sing and express themselves in sign language. All this thanks to the audio headset that fits snugly on their ears. Suddenly, the desire strikes the next batch of curious bystanders to put on a headset to live this experience themselves. Inaugurated as part of the Brussels Heritage Days weekend in September 2018, this fun way of learning more about this beautiful neoclassical square is the fruit of a collaboration between Maison CFC, art historian Christophe Loir, the non-profit associations La sacrée bonne adresse and Amadeus & Co. We are delighted to host “Flashkask” as part of the 4th edition of our festival.
AN AMADEUS & CO PRODUCTION