It all began with a simple email. What followed grew into a years-long exchange between composer and soloist: an ongoing dialogue filled with sketches, questions, and new impulses. “For me as a composer, it’s very interesting to go through the score together with a musician. You let yourself be nourished and inspired that way,” says Daan Janssens. The creative process becomes a true dialogue, in which Samuel Nemtanu can bring in his own playing style and preferences. “You know who you’re writing for,” Daan adds.
How did the two find each other? Besides his role as principal second violin with Brussels Philharmonic, Samuel works on solo projects with electronic music. During his search for new repertoire, he came across Janssens: “I immediately loved what he was doing,” he says. Electronics are therefore essential to the concerto: “They’re not just a sauce I pour over the composition at the end. The electronics are a kind of parallel universe: you can picture the orchestra’s powerful sound apparatus in front of you, but the electronics surround you and disorient you,” says Janssens.
The commission is part of a multi-year trajectory in which the Brussels Philharmonic presents a new creation each year by a Belgian composer, written for a musician from the orchestra. We consciously leave the beaten paths and choose innovative combinations and fresh perspectives. After the Timpani Concerto by Wim Henderickx, the focus now shifts to Daan Janssens’ violin concerto with electronics. When asked whether he wanted to write such a concerto, Janssens didn’t have to think twice: “What a fantastic project!”
Available from 14 January 2026.
Following the previous video series Mission: Timpani, Mission: Bass and Mission: Harp, we now present Mission: Violin. At the request of Brussels Philharmonic, Daan Janssens is writing a new concerto for violin, orchestra and surround electronics, with principal second violin Samuel Nemtanu as soloist.
Episode 1 will be released on 14 January, episode 2 on 21 January, and episode 3 on 4 February.
In the Oor-Sprong podcast series (created by sound duo Geluidsduo Spraakmat), we take listeners on a unique journey through the development of new compositions. Guided by the creators themselves, we explore how a new piece of music comes to life—from the first sketches and initial ideas to the much-anticipated world premiere. Throughout the season, the music evolves and grows in your ears, transforming from a few notes into a fully realized composition, with attention to both the challenges and breakthroughs along the way. The inevitable setbacks, but above all, the many triumphs on the path to the final live concert.
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#1 Dezelfde noot vanuit verschillende perspectieven (The same note from different perspectives) [listen on Spotify]
A new year, a new creation, a new season of Oor-Sprong. This time, we dive into the Violin Concerto that will premiere on 30 January 2026, together with composer Daan Janssens and soloist Samuel Nemtanu. In this first episode, we’re a fly on the wall at their very first rehearsal together, discovering which ideas the composition has grown from.
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#2 This episode will be released on 18 December 2026
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#3 This episode is expected after 30 January 2026
Join us for the first performances of Daan Janssens’ Violin Concerto: 30 January 2026 at Flagey and 31 January 2026 at Concertgebouw Brugge, with Brussels Philharmonic, Samuel Nemtanu and the Centre Henri Pousseur, conducted by Ilan Volkov.
info & tickets
With Ilan Volkov at the helm, the Brussels Philharmonic presents the Second and Sixth Symphonies by Luc Brewaeys: in the latter, Brewaeys brings together everything he stands for - the vibrant coloration of 20th-century spectralism, a bold orchestral configuration and a confrontation with electronics. Clearly influenced by that élan, Daan Janssens composed a new concerto for violin, orchestra and surround electronics.
With the LAB-SERIES, the Brussels Philharmonic brings together musical experimentation, interaction, and total experience. Expect bold and eclectic concert nights with unique programmes, pre- and post-concert talks, interactive installations, and immersive listening sessions.
Gert François, timpanist with Brussels Philharmonic, spent years collaborating with composer Wim Henderickx on the concept for a timpani concerto. After Wim’s sudden passing, this extraordinary work was brought to life posthumously.
Follow Gert François, Diederik Glorieux, and the team behind this concerto in our new video and podcast series.
