It is 150 years since the first Benedictines came to Denée, in October 1872, when a group of monks from Beuron in Germany came to settle in the middle of the forest, at the foot of the Vallée de la Molignée, and founded the Abbey of Maredsous.
The community of monks, still active today, is celebrating this anniversary with a series of events around the spiritual, cultural (and culinary) heritage of the abbey – today also one of Wallonia’s main tourist attractions.
As the highlight of the anniversary celebrations, the Benedictines have invited B’Rock Orchestra to the monumental abbey church of Saint-Benoît. On Palm Sunday, B’Rock Orchestra will perform a programme befitting both the festive occasion and the Passion period: The slow and reflective first and last movements of Handel’s Marian hymn “Salve Regina” provide a sensitive contrast to Pergolesi’s intense portrait of the mother suffering over the death of her son.
Belgian singers Sophie Karthäuser and Coline Dutilleul:
While both the Salve Regina and the Stabat Mater are undoubtedly among the most beloved works of Baroque music, Belgian singers Sophie Karthäuser and Coline Dutilleul also bring to Maredsous a rarely heard gem: Nicola Porporas “Duetti Latini sopra la passione di G.C.”
This production is realized with the support of the Tax Shelter measure of the Belgian Federal Government through Flanders Tax Shelter
