One of them is Kim Gevaert, the petite Leuven-born sprinter who brought back a silver medal from the Beijing Olympics in 2008. What few people know is that Gevaert is also a serious music lover who studied the flute and piano as a child and once dreamed of going professional – like her brother John, who is now a concert pianist.
The second fan is Ozark Henry, the lanky Flemish pop singer with a steely voice and eclectic tastes ranging from film to fashion. The third, French pianist Hélène Grimaud, is the only bona fide classical artist of the lot, although she enjoys a pop star aura due to her magnetic personality and, let’s face it, dewy-eyed good looks.
All three will soon be seen across Brussels and Flanders, peering down from stylish black posters next to the words “Ik ben een fan”. A tram bearing the same slogan will shuttle back and forth between Brussels’ communes Schaarbeek and Ukkel. And there might even be a short advert on television, for the NOB has splashed out on unprecedented hype to mark the occasion.
Concert-wise, this promises to be “a party season” in the words of orchestra manager Albert Wastiaux. Between now and next summer, there will be gala concerts with prestigious soloists (Grimaud included), an elaborate Christmas event, several world premières, an avalanche of children’s performances and even the odd foray into crossover. Not to forget the lunchtime chamber concerts, the Queen Elisabeth Competition appearances and myriad other events that dot the life of the country’s flagship orchestra.
For the NOB, this jubilee season is a chance to spruce up its image at a time when “Belgian” and “National” are uncomfortable epithets to wear, and when classical music has a sore need of new, younger audiences. Hence the three fans: as the orchestra’s glamorous ambassadors, they embody just the kind of curious, independent-minded young people it hopes to attract. From their posters, they seem to whisper to us that one needn’t be bald or geeky to like Mahler or Tchaikovsky.
As things stand, though, symphonic orchestras are the poor parents of the ailing classical industry. Of the few people under 50 who actually listen to classical music, most prefer the crisp sounds of Baroque ensembles, the hushed intensity of chamber works, the edgy opera productions of De Munt or the weird experiments of new music.
State-funded symphonic orchestras, by contrast, are viewed as dull and dusty, stuck with the same unimaginative repertoire. They are also expensive to maintain (100 or so musicians on the government payroll cost taxpayers a lot more than a freelance string quartet), which explains why their modern relevance is sometimes called into question. The NOB, which relies on federal subsidies for nearly three-quarters of its budget (ticket sales account for less than 15%), has its share of critics. In the early noughties, former De Munt manager Gerard Mortier openly objected to such a large chunk of public money being spent on the entertainment of a moneyed elite. He even suggested that the orchestra be ditched, adding that its role could be filled by the more competent Munt Symphony Orchestra and the saved millions invested in better concert facilities.
No one paid him much attention at the time, but the truth is that the NOB was in a sorry state, weakened by decades of infighting and poor management that had left musicians confused and discouraged. Despite chief conductor Yuri Simonov’s steady efforts behind the scenes to improve musicians’ standards, the orchestra’s heyday in the 1960s, when the charismatic maestro André Cluytens first put it on the world map, seemed very far away.
Its fortunes turned in 2002, after Simonov left. The orchestra’s modest resources meant that it could either opt for a second-rate but experienced conductor or bet on a rising star. It chose the latter. Mikko Franck, a diminutive Finn who was only 23 when he took up the post, shaped the orchestra’s sound, breathed in clarity and depth, introduced contemporary composers (he is a fan of Rautavaara) and played mild havoc with the sacrosanct concert ritual.
“There is no law that says every concert programme should consist of an overture, a concerto and a symphony,” he quipped at his inauguration press conference. A triumphant tour of Japan restored the musicians’ confidence and cohesion. “The phoenix is reborn to the world,” enthused a critic.
Franck was replaced in 2007 by Walter Weller, a 67-year-old Austrian and former concertmaster at the Vienna Philharmonic. His gifts to the orchestra have been a full, Germanic sound, luckily alleviated by the lighter touch and adventurous tastes of Stefan Blunier, the orchestra’s principal guest conductor since last year.
Meanwhile, the NOB had signed up with Fuga Libera, a young, dynamic record label with a mission to promote the best of Belgian music. CDs have been released to the tune of one per year, with a few gems among them.
So it looks like the 75-year-old ensemble is coming of age at last. “I love it here,” says Blunier. “It’s a nice change from German orchestras, which never seem to want to play piano. The mix here is just right, with power but also lots of fragile colours.”
“The orchestra’s in very good shape,” agrees Fuga Libera founder and artistic director Michel Stockhem. “It’s versatile, at the junction of Germanic and Latin cultures. Like other local ensembles, it struggles to be recognised internationally, but that’s where recordings can help. Our Richard Strauss CD, which caused us endless grief to record, has had excellent reviews abroad.”
Everyone is now looking forward to the next step: the arrival of new chief conductor Andrey Boreyko next season. Boreyko, who’s from Saint Petersburg and has worked with the Berlin Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony, among others, is also a first-class programmer. “He has a very good feel for what can and should be recorded in today’s difficult climate,” says Stockhem. Let’s hope he manages to bring the NOB the recognition – and fans – it deserves.
• Angel-faced French pianist Hélène Grimaud brings her huge
talent to Brussels and performs Brahms' first concerto (21 & 22
October). More big-shot soloists will be invited throughout the
season, including pianist Maria João Pires (18 March) and
German tenor Jonas Kaufmann (15 April).
• The NOB celebrates Christmas with seasonal music
by Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Prokofiev and others. Bittersweet
drawings by Brussels-born children's illustrator Kitty
Crowther are the icing on the cake (23 December).
• Composers Jean-Luc Fafchamps and Wim Henderickx are
living proofs that Belgian contemporary music is alive and
kicking. The NOB pays them tribute with two world premières:
the latter's first symphony At the Edge of the World (2 March)
and the former's haunting Lettre Soufie: Qâf (22 March).
• Anyone for crossover? Flemish pop singer Ozark Henry steps
on stage to perform a selection of his songs with orchestral
backing. Purists needn't fret: the rest of the programme revolves
safely around Berlioz, Tchaikovsky and Ravel (12 July).
• How does one get children interested in orchestral music?
By giving them a chance to play. This autumn, select students
from music academies will receive special coaching from NOB
musicians, joining them for a performance of Tchaikovsky's
Sleeping Beauty (22 January). Sign up for an audition before
3 October at www.onb.be/kids.
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