The Hearts of Europe
Europe has many hearts. At Lunalia, you can come and listen to these hearts beating in Mechelen. Belgium will take on the European presidency in the first half of 2024, so it’s only logical that Mechelen will have a related city theme in the spring: Construct Europe. Lunalia’s response is a motto that reflects the many voices of Europe, with a focus on Central Europe and a special place in our hearts for the Czech music scene. One reason for this is the celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of Bedřich Smetana’s birth. Smetana was born in 1824. His operas, and particularly his symphonic cycle Má Vlast, ‘My Fatherland’ (including the famous symphonic poem ‘The Moldau’), are world famous, but his chamber music, songs and choir music also deserve to be better known. For this aspect of the programme, we are working in close partnership with Czech Dreams and our Czech partner festival, Concentus Moraviae.
Discover musicians who make hearts resound, including the Pavel Haas Quartet, Simona Saturova, Musica Gloria, Voces8, Catalina Vicens, Zefiro Torna, Tiburtina Ensemble and Anima Eterna.