Brahms wrote of Dvorák (pictured above) that he had composed “pretty much everything” and the range on show at deSingel is impressive. The day begins with the overture In Nature’s Realm with Antwerp’s deFilharmonie symphony orchestra, conducted by Libor Pesek. That’s followed by the violin concerto by German Isabelle Faust. Next, the Antwerp Conservatory Symphony Orchestra plays the Slavonic Dances, the work that made Dvorák’s name, conducted by Domonkos Héja.

Next is superstar mezzo Bernarda Fink, the Argentinian-Slovenian who has made a special study of Dvorák’s lieder, including performing with the chamber orchestra of Jozef Suk, the composer’s great-great-grandson. She’ll be accompanied by British pianist Roger Vignoles.

The G minor piano concerto pairs Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov, a former Queen Elizabeth Prize-winner, with deFilharmonie. Written in 1876, this was the first of the three concertos Dvorák composed, all of which feature in today’s programme. (He didn’t rate it as highly as the other two.)

Dvorák spent years in America, including a stint as director of the National Conservatory of Music in the 1890s. The string quartet titled American is performed by the Artis Quartet, who are then joined by Niek De Groot on bass for the string quintet in G. Then deFilharmonie returns with the Eighth Symphony, a rather cheerful work now overshadowed by the Ninth, New World.

Finally, French cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras performs the cello concerto in B minor, the last and greatest of Dvorák’s concertos. It contains a tribute to his former pupil Josefina Čermakova, with whom he had fallen in love 20 years previously. She married someone else, and Dvorák married her sister, with whom he had nine children.

KADER op het eind

deSingel, Desguinlei 25, Antwerp

8 March, 11.30-22.00

www.desingel.be