Navigating (Late) Stalinism

The death of Joseph Stalin and Sergei Prokofiev on the very same day (5 March 1953) marked the end of an era characterized by the unbridled arbitrariness of the former, and the profound uncertainty of the latter as how to survive. Like many of his creative contemporaries, including his (alleged) opponent Dmitri Shostakovich, Prokofiev had to navigate the uncertainties of his age, trying to strike a balance between art and survival.

In this lecture, Professor Wim Coudenys (KU Leuven) explores this balancing act against the background of the Great Patriotic War, Great-Russian chauvinism, the Cold War, and everyday life in the Soviet Union between 1945 and 1953.

talk in English

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Wim Coudenys teaches Russian and European history at KU Leuven. His research focusses on Russian historiography, the history of the Russian emigration, and Belgian-Russian relations.

03.10.2026 SHOSTAKOVICH & PROKOFIEV 6

∙ 15:00 city walk: Cité Moderne: pioniers van modern wonen (NL) / Cité Moderne : pionniers de l'habitat moderne (FR) (Korei Guided Tours) (combi-tickets)
∙ 18:30 doors open
∙ 19:00 mini-recital: Trio Adelfoi, Russian Music from the 20th Century (also at 19:20 & 19:45)
∙ 19:00 lecture: Art or Survival? Navigating (Late) Stalinism, by Prof. Dr. Wim Coudenys (KU Leuven) (EN)
∙ 19:30 introduction: Sander De Keere
∙ 20:15 concert (with interval)
∙ 22:30 end

How music can trigger the higher functions of the brain

Music listening is not merely passive pickup of information. It involves, on the contrary, active engagement with the sounds. A major finding is that music can activate simultaneously multiple areas in the brain, encompassing primitive reactions to sound, emotional-affective responses, and higher-level cognitive processing. The musical-aesthetic experience has received a lot of attention in this regard, as it shows major connections between the auditory center, the reward center and the moral appraisal center. There are, however, large differences between individual listeners, which raises the question whether the ability to listen in an aesthetic way is innate or learned.

This lecture addresses this question by defining listening as a skill, and skills are learnable. Key factors in this regard include openness to new experiences, curiosity, and, above all, learning to focus our attention. The goal is to enjoy listening more by hearing more – and, above all, by hearing differently – and to extend the concert experience, as a typical example of aesthetic listening, to daily listening.

talk in English

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Mark Reybrouck studied physical education, physical therapy and musicology. He is emeritus professor at the University of Leuven and guest professor at Ghent University (Belgium). His main interest is in bringing together insights from psychology, biology, semiotics, and music with current research that focuses primarily on how people listen to music and what music does to them.

24.10.2026 BEETHOVEN 8

∙ 14:00 city walk: Een openluchtmuseum van architectuur (NL) / Un musée d'architecture à ciel ouvert (FR) (Korei Guided Tours) (combi-tickets)
∙ 18:00 doors open
∙ 18:30 lecture: Beethoven Deconstructed by Florestan Bataillie (EN) (€9>€5)
∙ 18:30 atelier kids: Symfomania 7>12 years (NL/FR/EN) (sold out)
∙ 19:00 lecture: The art of listening. How music can trigger the higher functions of the brain, by Prof. Reybrouck (EN)
∙ 19:00 foyer concert: Manuel Beja Santos (piano)
∙ 19:30 introduction: Sander De Keere & Michel Tabachnik (FR)
∙ 20:15 concert (with interval)
∙ 21:45 end

Symbolism in Brussels

A moment of visual silence

In 1907, Alexander Scriabin visited the workshop of Jean Delville in Brussels, one of the absolute pivotal figures of the Belgian symbolist movement. He wanted to see his scandalous painting Prométhée in person to serve as an immediate inspiration to compose the synesthetic symphony of the same name. Later Scriabin even requested Delville to draw the frontispiece of the score. The illustration presents an androgynous figure surrounded by esoteric elements and mystical symbols.

Around the turn of the century, Brussels was the ultimate place for groundbreaking cultural experiments, partly thanks to influential associations such as Les XX and La Libre Esthétique. At the time, our capital reached an absolute peak not only in painting, but also in literature, architecture and the applied arts. Artists such as Fernand Khnopff, Léon Spilliaert and Philippe Wolfers all tried to reach a higher spiritual reality through sheer beauty. Through numerous images, this lecture will illustrate the rich breeding ground across various disciplines in which symbolism excelled.

talk in English

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David Caelen studied Germanic Languages at the University of Antwerp and is a lecturer in Dutch didactics at the teacher training college of AP Hogeschool Antwerpen. In addition, he is a guide in various museums in Antwerp and Brussels. His field of expertise is early twentieth-century fine and applied arts and architecture.

19.12.2026 RACHMANINOV, REGER, SCRIABIN

∙ 14:30 city walk: Huis Devalck (NL) / Maison Devalck (FR) (Korei Guided Tours) (combi-tickets)
∙ 18:30 doors open
∙ 19:00 lecture: Symbolism in Art, by David Caelen (EN)
∙ 19:30 atelier kids: Symfomania 7>12 years (NL/FR/EN)
∙ 19:30 introduction: Sander De Keere
∙ 20:15 concert (with interval)
∙ 22:15 end