On 1 September 2011, the opening night of the KlaraFestival takes place with free concerts in and near Brussels’ central station. The Brussels edition of the Flanders Festival International is running until 16 September. Trilogie People will be central to the next three KlaraFestivals. What makes people what they are? How do they deal with their limitations and their aspirations? What forces determine their actions? The KlaraFestival will be taking a look at the inner man and at what unites us all in a common humanity. For centuries man has been in search of harmony and perfection, of improvement and good fortune. In close cooperation with Klara, Bozar, De Munt, Flagey and Kaaitheater, this year’s Klara Festival moves between hope and imagination, between utopia and reality, and between beauty and abhorrence. More than 30 concerts feature on the programme under the title Imagine Paradise. Central guest is René Jacobs. This internationally renowned Belgian conductor is bringing two concertante opera productions to the KlaraFestival: Haydn’s Orlando Paladino and Händel’s Aci, Galatea e Polifemo. Jacobs conducts both the Freiburger Barockorchester and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. A brimful programme In addition to René Jacobs, the KlaraFestival is welcoming Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques, Sir Roger Norrington and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Neville Marriner and the Brussels Philharmonic , Francois-Xavier Roth and Les Siècles as well as Steven Isserlis, Daniel Hope, Jan Decorte, Dez Mona, Ronald Brautigam,Ian Bostridge, Marlis Petersen, Werner Güra, Alexander Melnikov and many others. In addition to classical concerts, the Klara Festival is presenting a number of new multidisciplinary productions: Via Dolorosa with images by Carl De Keyzer, Sága with ballads by the Antwerp band Dez Mona, Liszt/O Death with texts written and performed by Jan Decorte , and Utopia 47 by Muziektheater Transparant. In Utopia 47 Eric Sleichim, Christina Zavaloni and Bl!ndman project themselves into the year 2047. Other exceptional projects are the performance of Britten’s War Requiem on 11 September 2011, 10 years to the day after the attacks in Washington and New York, and the debut concert by the new children’s choir Shanti! Shanti!, created by Flanders Festival Brussels and MET-X. Following up on last year’s success, the KlaraFestival will end on 16 September with Club-K in one of Brussels most vibrant night clubs where the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet will be playing music ranging from Bach to Glass. KlaraFestival on air A broadcast festival, you will not only find the KlaraFestival at Brussels theatres and concert halls, train stations and nightclubs but also every day on Klara. In addition to live reports, this will provide full details of the programme and themes. The KlaraFestival can also be enjoyed on Musiq’3 and on many foreign radio stations via the European Broadcasting Union.