CrowdMateFor the upcoming Thursday-to-Sunday stretch of 24–27 September, one of Brussels’ clearest listening routes sits inside a single building. Flagey hosts three sharply scaled events across Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September: Nils Petter Molvær and Tania Giannouli in concert, Florestan Bataillie’s early-evening Verdi Deconstructed session, then Verdi: Requiem with Brussels Philharmonic. It is a useful miniature of how the house works: a programme can move from an intimate encounter between individual musicians to a public act of musical explanation, then to orchestra, choir and vocal soloists. Flagey’s Place Sainte-Croix setting makes this a weekend built for arriving early, staying curious and letting each format reset the ears for the next one.[1][2][3]
The thread here is scale, though the dates never ask listeners to treat scale as a simple matter of loudness or headcount. Friday’s pairing of Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær and Greek pianist Tania Giannouli places two distinct musical voices in a shared frame. Saturday begins with a one-hour Deconstructed event led by Belgian pianist, composer and speaker Florestan Bataillie. His own work has ranged from chamber music and accompaniment to composition, and he has been the face of Brussels Philharmonic’s Deconstructed lecture series since 2023. That makes the 18:30 slot a practical threshold into the evening’s larger Verdi programme.[1][3]
Friday 25 September: trumpet and piano at 20:15. Molvær and Giannouli arrive at Flagey on a bill whose concise presentation leaves room for the encounter itself. The value of this date lies in its focus: two names, one shared concert, and a start time that keeps the evening uncluttered. For listeners drawn to jazz’s changing borders with electronics and contemporary composition, this is the weekend’s most concentrated option. It also establishes a useful mood for what follows the next day: attentive listening, colour in the foreground, and a willingness to hear a programme as a sequence of decisions made in real time. Flagey’s programme places the duo within a wider music calendar that also includes classical concerts, films and educational activity, which helps explain why this pairing fits naturally into the venue’s week.[1]
Saturday’s close-up route into Verdi
On Saturday 26 September, Florestan Bataillie takes the earlier 18:30 slot with Verdi Deconstructed. Bataillie’s biography identifies him as a pianist, composer, writer and speaker, with a sustained practice of concert introductions and repertoire explanation. His Deconstructed work for Brussels Philharmonic uses the piano as a way into major works: an invitation to follow musical material, context and form before the full concert experience. Placing that session before Verdi’s Requiem gives the evening an unusually concrete shape. A listener can choose the standalone introduction, the later performance, or make a continuous evening of both. The first option offers context; the second gives the work its full physical and choral force; together, they connect listening with orientation.[2][3]
Verdi: Requiem follows at 20:15. Brussels Philharmonic’s programme notes describe the 1874 Messa da Requiem as a memorial work created from the texts and structure of the Mass for the Dead, conceived by Verdi for the concert hall. The work moves through contrasting textures, with four soloists alongside orchestra and chorus, and its Dies irae supplies one of its defining dramatic peaks. Those facts matter here because Bataillie’s preceding session can direct attention toward the work’s architecture without reducing the later concert to a lesson. The programme is built around passages of hushed prayer, vocal writing and forceful brass; it carries sacred text into a deliberately theatrical concert form. This is the weekend’s fullest commitment, suited to anyone who wants one major work to occupy an entire evening.[2][3]
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Practical route for 25–26 September
Begin at Flagey on Friday 25 September at 20:15 for Nils Petter Molvær & Tania Giannouli. On Saturday 26 September, Verdi Deconstructed begins at 18:30 and Verdi: Requiem begins at 20:15. Flagey is at Place Sainte-Croix in Ixelles, with visitor and ticket information maintained through its official site. Recheck Flagey and Brussels Philharmonic’s official pages before leaving for current ticket availability, access details, running times and any programme changes.[1][2]
Sources
- Flagey — Flagey
- Verdi: Requiem — Brussels Philharmonic
- Florestan Bataillie — Florestan Bataillie