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16.08 – Friday – 8:30 pm

/ the tower of St. Catherine’s Church /

Carillon for Four Fists

Duet Bells’ Angels: Twan Bearda & Luc Rombouts (Belgium)

Program:

Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Also sprach Zarathustra (Tako rzecze Zaratustra)

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805)
Fandango

Maurycy Moszkowski (1854-1925)
Bolero

Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
Bordel 1900 (Granica)
Oblivion (Zapomnienie)

Steven Reich (*1936)
Nagoya Marimbas

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Suita Dolly (Laleczka): Berceuse (Kołysanka)

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
La Traviata: O, Infamia orribile (Och, straszna hańba)
Rigoletto: Caro Nome (Drogie imię)

Wim Mertens (*1953)
Struggle for pleasure (Walcz o przyjemność)

DUET THE BELLS’ ANGELS  

In the Bach year 2000, carillonneurs Twan Bearda and Luc Rombouts founded the carillon duo The Bells’ Angels. Initially the intention was to perform parts from Bach’s last work 'Die Art of Fugue’ on the carillon. However, the duo got a taste of quatre mains carillon playing, and 24 years later they still play together, always trying to surprise the audience with repertoire that cannot be played by a single carillonneur. In doing so, they achieve a new overall sound that does even more justice to the carillon as a concert instrument. The Bells’ Angels are mainly inspired by the heavy five-octave carillon of the University of Leuven.
The duo’s name is more than an ironic pun. Carillonneurs work, just like angels, somewhere between heaven and earth. And just like the biblical angels convey a joyful message, these musical 'angels’ provide a sonorous message that reaches everyone without distinction. For the Bells’ Angels, playing the carillon is a social calling with even a touch of transcendence.

TWAN BEARDA 

(*1973) started playing the carillon under direction of Peter Bremer while studying in Enschede, The Netherlands. After graduating as an Electrical Engineer he moved to Belgium, where he continued playing the carillon at the carillon school in Mechelen. He studied with Eddy Mariën and Geert D’hollander, and graduated in 2002. After another year of lessons with Boudewijn Zwart he received the first price in the prestigious Queen Fabiola competition for carillon in 2003. Together with Luc Rombouts he forms the carillon duet „The Bells’ Angels” since 2000. Since 2009, Twan is appointed carillonneur of the town of Grimbergen. In this function he aims to involve the community in the carillon tradition through concerts that appeal to the audience by choice of music, by organizing memorable events or by collaborating with other artists. Since 2024 he teaches the carillon at a local music school. In his daily life Twan is still an engineer, working for a consulting firm in the energy sector.

LUC ROMBOUTS  

(*1962) studied classical philology and obtained an MBA at the University of Leuven (Belgium). He graduated at the Royal Carillon School ‘Jef Denyn’ in Mechelen in 1987. In 2016 he obtained a PhD degree cum laude from the University of Utrecht with a dissertation on the origin of the carillon.
Luc is city carillonneur of Tienen (Belgium), university carillonneur of Leuven (Belgium), and carillonneur of Park Abbey in Leuven. He is curator of the heritage program ‘Carillon Culture Leuven.’ He teaches carillon performance, carillon history and campanology at the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen.
Luc has given recitals in Europe and in North America and has performed during festivals and congresses. Together with his colleague Twan Bearda he forms the carillon duet The Bells’ Angels, that has been exploring the repertoire for four hands carillon playing since 2000.
Luc wrote several books on the carillon, among which the award-winning carillon history book Zingend brons, that was published in English in 2014 under the title Singing Bronze. A History of Carillon Music.
Luc coordinated the project that led in 2014 to the recognition of the Belgian carillon culture as a best safeguarding practice in intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO and is president of the Belgian Carillon Heritage Committee. He co-founded the International Network of War Memorial and Peace Carillons, based at the Peace Palace in The Hague (the Netherlands).

XXVI Gdański Festiwal Carillonowy