One of Brussels’ best loved concert venues has unveiled its new programme for the coming arts season.
In 2026-2027, Flagey makes the First Viennese School the main thread of a season driven by what it calls “a clear philosophy”: listening to the music of the past can help us better understand the present.
With the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s death approaching, artists such as Boris Giltburg, Quatuor Ébène, Mitsuko Uchida, Paul Lewis, András Schiff, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Dmytro Choni and Alexander Melnikov “show how relevant and powerful this music still is.”
The season also prominently features jazz.
Louise van den Heuvel, artist in residence of Brussels Jazz Festival, Anouar Brahem and Dee Dee Bridgewater will take the stage, alongside the 50th anniversary of Les Lundis d’Hortense.
The Flagey Piano Days, meantime, bring together some of today’s greatest pianists and pay tribute to Philip Glass.
J.S. Bach is a recurring name throughout the season, interpreted by Philippe Herreweghe.
Album releases, young laureates and a family-centred programme further seek to celebrate creation, transmission and the joy of new discoveries.
The First Viennese school: mirror of our time
Will a world marked by uncertainty, fear and hope inspire a new musical language?
This is the question Flagey also explores throughout its 2026-2027 season, through a series of concerts devoted to the First Viennese School and, above all, Ludwig van Beethoven.
Some 200 years after his death, Beethoven is not presented as an untouchable icon, but as a composer whose music still speaks powerfully to our time.
A Flagey spokesman said, “Alongside Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Schubert, he allows people to reflect on how music can respond to a world in turmoil. It offers resilience, consolation and the energy to move forward.”
Artist in residence Boris Giltburg presents the entirety of Beethoven’s sonatas for piano, a project unfolding over two seasons.
He not only performs solo (25.03.27, 8.15pm and 06.06.27, 5pm), but also appears in a format new to Brussels: sonatas in the first half of the concert, followed by a symphonic programme with the Brussels Philharmonic in the second half (26-27.03.27, 8.15pm and 04-05.06.27, 8.15pm).
Another artist in residence, Paul Lewis, launches a long-term project at Flagey dedicated to Mozart’s sonatas, which he will record in the building itself.
Mitsuko Uchida makes her Flagey debut with a programme linking the First and Second Viennese Schools, featuring works by Haydn, Mozart, Schubert and Schönberg (27.11.26, 8.15pm).
In March, András Schiff devotes an entire concert to Haydn (17.03.27, 8pm).
Meanwhile in April, Frank Peter Zimmermann makes his Flagey debut alongside Dmytro Choni for a one-off Belgian performance that brings together Schubert and the Second Viennese School (13.04.27, 8.15pm).
Jazz, a space for diversity
The Brussels Jazz Festival runs from 14 to 23 January 2027, with Louise van den Heuvel as artist in residence.
The Dutch bassist presents three projects: a concert with Kit Downes, Otis Sandsjö and Sun-Mi Hong (15.01.27, 9pm), an experience combining brunch and listening with Bert Cools (17.01.27, 2pm), and a new repertoire with her band Sonic Hug (21.01.27, 7.30pm).
The festival also highlights The Best of Belgian Jazz, Flagey’s series dedicated
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