Le Concert Olympique . Jan Caeyers

It seems only a short while ago that Le Concert Olympique was making its debut in our Blue Hall in the autumn of 2010. This successful Flemish project orchestra is now on the brink of its third concert season, one in which it will continue to give historically sound performances of the classical repertoire, albeit on modern instruments. Director Jan Caeyers speaks of "a new authenticity" or "a contemporary experience of a timeless tradition". Suiting action to word, he gives us a complete performance of Beethoven's Incidental Music to 'Egmont', if only because writer Erwin Mortier has produced a brand-new text to go with Beethoven's music. And there's more Beethoven, this time the Fifth Piano Concerto, better known as 'the Emperor Concerto'. It is unlikely that the composer himself gave it this name, although it is immensely fitting for the grand proportions and majestic allure of the work. So it's tailor-made for master pianist Alexander Melnikov.