Heroes take many forms - in music as well as in real life: they can sound heroic and bold, or they can be personal and vulnerable. Brussels Philharmonic explores the various heroes of today: are they Richard Strauss or Don Juan? Laurie Anderson or Superman? Maybe your grandmother or math teacher?

This quest colours the journey of the evening: from performances and lectures that challenge the concept of heroism to a concert with soundscapes and light design that reveals ‘the inner monologue of the hero’. Who is your hero for tonight?

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Don Juan

The young Strauss impressed the world with the breath-taking opening measures of his Don Juan: after a stormy opening full of restless passages, the sky clears: the hero appears, the radiant Don Juan theme is heard, and Strauss depicts his hero not only as a passionate romantic and womanizer, but also as the broken man who, after countless flirtations and relationships ends up alone, longing for a liberating death.

Ein Heldenleben

The hero whom Strauss evokes in Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life) is a bit more self-aware. The work can be read as the artistic biography of the composer, which critics found to be conceited. But if one digs a bit deeper, beneath the ironic layer one can perceive a universal theme. Heroism is human and earthly, and reflects the eternal inner or outer struggle of the individual who seeks consolation in love.