Botanic Sanctuary Orchestra
Music Festival

You are warmly invited to an exceptional series of four concerts, bringing together some of today’s most remarkable musicians for a unique musical journey across Europe and its history.
Four concerts, each with its own character and colour — a true musical postcard spanning nations, styles, and centuries, presented in the intimate and resonant setting of our chapel.

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From festive Vienna we travel toward France and Belgium, visit Wagner, Tsarist Russia, Germany, England, Italy, and its musical child, Argentina.
A musical journey—both geographical and emotional—through some of the most striking contrasts that Western music has to offer.

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From the wit of Richard Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel and the unfathomable cumulative depth of Schubert to the early Italian Baroque: Antonio Vivaldi, Rubens’s contemporary, whose frail constitution prevented him from walking more than a few steps without losing his breath—yet whose imaginative power carried him farther than reality ever could.

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Along the way, we encounter the most gifted French and Belgian masters—Debussy, Ravel, Saint-Saëns, Massenet, Ysaÿe, and Franck—and their connection to the giant Wagner and the death of Isolde. Syrinx, a miracle of impressionist economy; Ravel’s harp septet, which distills the very essence of this royal instrument and embeds it in his miraculous orchestration, creating yet another timeless masterpiece.
And need we introduce Saint-Saëns’s Swan, which has inspired dreams for theremin players and Chinese fiddlers alike, and was immortalized in Maya Plisetskaya’s dance? Or the heartfelt repentance of Thaïs in Massenet’s Méditation?

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César Franck and Eugène Ysaÿe—friends in life—shared a profound love for Wagnerian musical language.

The concert then closes with the heartbreaking Isolde’s Liebestod, in all its immensity, beautifully arranged for a smaller ensemble by our beloved Reinbert de Leeuw.

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The evening transports us to Tsarist Russia: Tchaikovsky and his Serenade, one of the jewels of the string-orchestra repertoire, full of snow, glittering balls, and romantic vastness—interspersed with joyful Bach, Johann Strauss’s humorous Pizzicato Polka, our adored Verdi in a Rigoletto suite, and the noble British grandeur of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, arranged a bit differently for the occasion. 

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On Sunday we conclude our journey with Arnold Schoenberg’s most elegant arrangement of Johann Strauss’s Kaiserwalzer, followed by Piazzolla—and his musical grandfather, Vivaldi, with The Four Seasons.

At the center of our journey, our agent connecteur, our guide, is our accordionist, Gwen: a musical polyglot whose travelling organ will appear everywhere, revealing the essence of each country—before finally taking on the role of soloist in the Tangos on the last day.

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It is a rare privilege to welcome such extraordinary artistry within these walls. Their presence transforms the chapel into a living sanctuary of sound, where imagination, talent, and tradition meet. I am profoundly grateful to each musician for sharing their craft with us, and delighted to open this journey to you.

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CONCERT SCHEDULE

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Friday, 9 January — 20:00

OPENING CONCERT-VIENNA

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• Accordion

• R. Strauss — Till Eulenspiegel einmal anders

• F. Schubert — Octet

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Saturday, 10 January — 11:30

FRANCE THROUGH BELGIUM TO WAGNER

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• Cl. Debussy — Syrinx (flute solo)

• M. Ravel — Introduction et Allegro

• E. Ysaÿe — Obsession (4’)

• C. Saint-Saëns — The Swan

• J. Massenet — Thaïs Méditation (violin/ harp)

• M. Ravel — Pavane pour une infante défunte ( woodwind quintet & piano)

• C. Franck — Quintette avec piano, 1st movement

• R. Wagner — Vorspiel und Isoldens Liebestod arranged by Reinbert de Leeuw

• For Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, Harmonium, Piano, String quartet and Double Bass

• Few accordion interventions in French traditional style.

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Saturday, 10 January — 20:00

OLD CONTINENT

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• Accordion

• P.I.Tchaikovsky — Serenade, 1st movement

• L.Bassi: Rigoletto Fantasy on Motives from Verdi’s Opera “Rigoletto”

• P.I. Tchaikovsky — Serenade, 2nd movement

• J. Strauss — Pizzicato Polka

• J.S. Bach — Badinerie

• P.I. Tchaikovsky — Serenade, 3rd & 4th movements

 

Sunday, 11 January — 15:00

FINALE

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• J. Strauss — Kaiserwalzer

• A.Piazzolla — Oblivion

• A.Vivaldi — Four Seasons

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I hope you will join us for one or more of these exceptional moments, and allow yourself to be carried through the landscapes, emotions, and marvels of our shared musical heritage.