Averbode Klassiek: Classical music in a timeless setting
It’s widely known that Belgium is unmissable when it comes to music festivals, but it doesn’t always have to be big rock or electro events. Take the chamber music festival Averbode Klassiek, for example.
Two Saturday evenings and two Sunday afternoons – what better way to spend a June weekend than with captivating chamber music in the most beautiful of settings? The festival takes place in the abbey of Averbode, a Norbertine abbey that is among the oldest of the country.
The third live edition of Averbode Klassiek features a mix of young and promising talents and established names in the community of classical music fans. Kicking off is a young cello and piano duo (Paul Heyman and Matthieu Idmtal), who will play pieces by Sergei Rachmaninov and Edvard Grieg. The next day, pianist Lily Maisky and bassoonist Mavroudes Troullos will play a whole host of pieces by some of the most respected composers.
The second weekend starts off with 30-year-old pianist Florestan Bataillie who will stun the audience with his own compositions, combined with pieces by Phillip Glass and Erik Satie. Finally, the festival closes with iTrio, a string trio with violinist Alice van Leuven, violist Marc Tooten and cellist Olsi Leka. They will play Schubert, Beethoven and Jean Cras.
Did you know that the festival offers the possibility to spend the night in the abbey as well? If you’re tempted, be sure to check out the website for more information.