BEL AYRE
ABOUT BEL AYRE
Bel Ayre means “beautiful song”. The ensemble is a collaboration in between soprano Lieselot De Wilde and jazz guitarist Peter Verhelst. The two musicians started making music together out of curiosity to what kind of music sprouts from a combination of their different musical backgrounds. The ensemble creates its own songs and searches for new interpretations and realizations of the song repertoire. Their musical language speaks the virtuosity, expression, techniques and colors from classical music, early music, French chanson, jazz, Jewish music, Arabic music and avant-garde.
guests:
Seraphine Stragier - cello, nyckelharpa, yayli tanbur, voice, Farnoosh Khodadadeh - daf, daire, bendir, voice, Lode Vercampt - cello, Jean-Philippe Poncin - clarinets, Yves Peeters - percussion, Dick Van der Harst - bandoneon
LA STRADA
La Strada. The street is the path to unknown adventure, but it is also the uncertain road for those who must travel. Streets are meeting places. The diversity of a street reflects the variety of experiences. The constant change of streets shows the personal growth of travelers or the adaptations that forced travelers must make.
Streets offer directions and choices. The unpredictability of what you encounter on the street reveals the surprises and challenges of every journey. Just as a street mirrors a life’s journey, travel stories reflect the broad human experience, whether centered on discovery or survival.
Each edition of La Strada is created with the local community. Residents share their journeys through interviews, impressions, music, recipes,... Bel Ayre Quartet weaves centuries-old melodies with new encounters, while culinary artists Hadas Cnaani and Sadaf Malyar - who delve into the traditions of roots and bread in their personal work - explore the flavors of street food.
Blending live podcast, storytelling, music, and food, La Strada turns every space into a vibrant gathering, where neighbors, musicians, and strangers come together for an unforgettable celebration.
concept, editing, scenography, dramaturgy: Lieselot De Wilde
(live) interview, podcast, dramaturgy: Eva De Groote (Audiomakerij Selkie),
music: Bel Ayre Quartet:
Seraphine Stragier (cello, nyckelharpa, yayli tanbur, voice),
Farnoosh Khodadadeh (daf, daire, bendir, voice),
Peter Verhelst (arrangements, guitar, ud),
Lieselot De Wilde (lead voice, tenorbanjo)
drawing, scenography: Kirill Zemtsov
culinar artists: Hadas Cnaani & Sadaf Malyar
sound technic, percussion: Pieterjan Seynaeve
ENTRE-TEMPS
During the pre-industrial era and before the invention of the light bulb many people had sleeping habits that differed remarkably from the ones we have today. They went to bed when it got dark and cold, only to wake up in the middle of the night. They revived, fulfilled some tasks in the dark and went back to bed. The period between those two stages of sleep came to be called the dorveille, which was used for several things. Sex was of course one of the most common, but others just grabbed a bite or used the time to warm up at the hearth or stove. It was the ideal time to commit all sorts of criminal acts as well. Another popular occupation was the interpretation of dreams, as they were freshly lingering in the memory, hence many a writer was inspired during this mysterious dorme-veille. Those of a more devoted nature used the time to pray.
“”Entre-temps, the new album by Bel Ayre, on which musical pigeonholes are graciously shattered.” (****)”
First CD: 'A Canzone 'E Partenope
““A sunny and at the same time intense melancholic CD. The music flows like a conversation on a summer evening.” (****)”
Bel Ayre made a first album around Neapolitan Songs that was very well received by the press and was a hit on the Belgian classical radio Klara. With the Neapolitan Song project, Bel Ayre was invited on prominent stages such as the annual concert at the Belgian Royal Palace, Klara in DeSingel, Festival van Vlaanderen and toured it to Lithuania and France.
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