Unadulterated splendour, excess and luxury. What it is exactly that makes Baroque Baroque culminated in mid-17th century religious art in Antwerp. Devotion, wealth and a thirst for ostentation fused and crystallized in unparalleled paintings, sculptures and music. And the interior of St. James’ Church, where Rubens and others found their final resting place, is more or less the culmination of all of this.
B’Rock brings the splendour of yesteryear back to life, through Philippus van Steelant. In the mid-17th century, he was not only a composer but also an organist at St. James’ Church. B’Rock performs the Miserere and a mass of the dead by the Antwerp resident, with orchestration for multiple voices and ensemble that was groundbreaking for the requiem genre at the time.
B’Rock together with cantoLX blows the dust off this pioneer’s work. The young Luxembourg ensemble exudes Baroque style and leaves no shred of historical knowledge unused; without a doubt the perfect partner for this special project.
Frank Agsteribbe, one of the founding fathers of B’Rock, returns to the company he baptised almost twenty years ago, and introduces the musicians to van Steelant’s masterful music.
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This production was realized with the support of the Tax Shelter measure of the Belgian Federal Government through Flanders Tax Shelter
