But there is another outstanding Flemish vocal ensemble, even if it until relatively recently shunned the limelight somewhat, confining itself for too long to its historic recording studios at Flagey in Brussels. There is no doubt that the Vlaams Radio Koor, or Flemish Radio Choir, has come a long way these few last years, joining the ranks of Europe’s finest chamber vocal ensembles – as their 2009 recording on the Glossa Music label of Kurt Weill’s Berliner Requiem together with choral works by Hindemith and Milhaud so eloquently attests.

The story of the Vlaams Radio Koor (VRK) is actually a long and distinguished one. Its origins go back as far as 1937 when it was created by the then Belgian National Broadcasting Corporation (now VRT). “The choir had a prestigious past, with a conductor the calibre of Vic Nees, who led it for close to 30 years,” says VRK artistic manager Alain De Ley.

But the real turning point came with the appointment of Johan Duijck in 1998, the year in which both the choir and the affiliated orchestra (now Brussels Philharmonic) gained their independence from the public broadcaster.

Duijck’s merits are enormous: he gave the VRK the confidence it lacked before and raised the technical level, making them ready to perform before audiences and not just microphones. He was succeeded in 2008 by the Danish Bo Holten, a great musician, composer and conductor, besides being an authority on Renaissance polyphony.

An ensemble used to making studio recordings offers many assets to the choir. They are highly flexible and able to tackle any kind of repertoire; they give performances of high quality thanks to ample rehearsal time and are freed of box-office constraints. The choir’s programming now rests on two pillars. The a capella repertoire, with five or six programmes per season, is performed mainly in Brussels and Flanders – but also in Wallonia. “We’re actually thinking of performing together with the excellent Namur Chamber Choir”, notes De Ley. Collaboration increases VRK’s opportunities to perform with foreign orchestras.

Now it’s time for another change: French composer Hervé Niquet has been named VRK’s new chief conductor. “Frankly, it’s a match made in heaven,” says De Ley. “We toured twice with his Le Concert Spirituel orchestra, and you could feel this chemistry right from the beginning. Hervé is crazy about the choir, and it’s reciprocal.”

From next season, Niquet will lead the VRK and be the Brussels Philharmonic’s first guest conductor. His three-year contract should see him spend eight to 10 weeks per year with the choir. He will continue to lead the 24-member ensemble in a capella, as well as vocal-orchestral repertoire, focusing especially on Classical and early Romantic, not to mention the Prix de Rome series of which at least five double CDs are planned.

“What we won’t do”, insists De Ley, “is cover Baroque repertoire. We don’t want to enter into a competition with Hervé’s own Concert Spirituel choir for the French repertoire, nor with Collegium Vocale in Bach and the German repertoire. Besides, our first mission is to perform contemporary and Flemish music.”

This was confirmed by Gunther Broucke, general manager of both the Brussels Philharmonic and the VRK: “One of the reasons we opted for a French conductor is that we want to position ourselves on the international stage. Whereas the Austro-German repertoire is largely represented, there are huge stretches of early Romantic French choral-orchestral repertoire that demand to be rediscovered.”  www.vlaamsradiokoor.be

Pictured: The Vlaams Radio Koor performs James MacMillan’s St John Passion on 18 March in Brussels and on 19 March in Ghent

New face at the podium

French conductor Hervé Niquet picks up the baton for the VRK

Imet Hervé Niquet in his dressing room at Paris' Salle Pleyel, just before he returned to the stage to lead the combined forces of the Vlaams Radio Koor (VRK) and his Le Concert Spirituel ensemble for the final rehearsal of Haydn's Creation.

The Concert Spirituel and the VRK have been working together for several years. "It clicked right from the very beginning, and this reciprocal interest is still going strong. So, rather than live in sin why not make our relationship official?" says the flamboyant and charismatic French maestro.

"I want the VRK to have its own personality, put at the service of an artistic project," Niquet continues. "I immediately excluded performing Baroque music, but they'll be free to do that under other conductors if they so wish."

Together with VRK artistic manager Alain De Ley, Niquet has identified what the choir could do in the future, "such as 20th-century British and American music, of which they've done very little so far," explains Niquet. "I'm also interested in Romantic music for male choir with piano. Of course, French music will occupy a special place: we've already recorded two albums of Prix de Rome cantatas by Debussy and Saint-Saëns, and there's more to come. Do you know that were are literally thousands of pieces written in 19th-century France, where the choir is often just accompanied by a violin, cello harp and harmonium? It's worth being curious and doing a little bit of research."

But Niquet - a harpsichordist, pianist, vocalist and composer - is certainly not only interested in music of the past. "I really would like to promote choral pieces by composers who've turned their backs on both serialism and minimalism."

As well as conducting the VRK, Niquet is also the Brussels Philharmonic's first guest conductor of the 2011-2012 season. "I would love to bring the orchestra closer to singing," he shares. "It would be great to give little-known oratorios and operas in concert, not to mention all those Prix de Rome cantatas. I'm really taken by the BP's sonority: they actually do sound like a golden age French orchestra - with a better technique!"

Niquet's approach can be best summed up when he says that "every concert should be an event. You know, audiences are curious: let's trust them!" (PL)