29.05.26 8pm La Viale (Église des Pères du Saint-Sacrement). Chau. de Wavre 203, 1050 Ixelles.

Magnum Opus brings together monumental works of choral music that reflect both artistic mastery and profound transformation. In music, a magnum opus refers to a composer’s greatest or most significant creation—the work in which vision, craftsmanship, and expression reach their highest point. This idea resonates throughout the program, which spans centuries of choral writing, from the radiant Renaissance polyphony of Thomas Weelkes to the timeless spiritual intensity of composers such as Henry Purcell and Anton Bruckner.

At the heart of the evening lies a new choral cycle by Diederik Van Der Laag, presented in its Belgian premiere. Inspired by the ancient tradition of alchemy, the work traces the symbolic stages leading to the magnum opus—the ultimate transformation of matter and spirit. Through darkness, purification, awakening, and culmination, the music mirrors an inner journey toward illumination.

The theme of transformation echoes across the rest of the program, from the evocative Shakespeare settings of Ralph Vaughan Williams to the contemplative sound worlds of Arvo Pärt, Cecilia McDowall, and Einojuhani Rautavaara. The program also includes music by Jevgeņijs Ustinskovs and culminates with the Belgian premiere of a luminous Salve Regina by Ivan Yohan.

Together, these works invite listeners to experience the many forms of transformation that music can embody—spiritual, emotional, and artistic—revealing the extraordinary power of choral sound at its most inspired.

about diederik van der laag

Diederik van der Laag (1991) is a composer of vocal music, as well as a singer and guitarist. Born and raised in Utrecht (NL), he grew up surrounded by his father’s records of Madonna and Paul Young, alongside his mother’s unwavering love for early Baroque.

Since the premiere of his first choral work in 2015, Miks Ma Ei Tapa Ennast, Diederik has established himself as a vocal composer with a mission: to innovate tonal choral music. In his search for music that touches both the mind and the heart, composing and improvising are equally relevant and effective for him:

“For me, music is at its most beautiful when it leaves space—when it doesn’t just showcase itself but also makes room for what wants to emerge in the moment. I am convinced this is possible with both written and improvised music. Nonetheless, exploring new forms that combine these qualities is particularly rewarding, especially in contemporary choral music.”

about his composition “Transmutations – a path to magnum opus”

The composer Diederik van der Laag is set to finalize a choral cycle for performance by the University ofCincinnati’s Chorale, scheduled as part of a concert featuring his compositions. During this event, he will be in residence at the University of Cincinnati. Their artistic leader, Brett Scott, will cross the pond to attend European performances of said cycle and teach at various locations about modern music.

“… in alchemy, the Magnum Opus or Great Work is a term for the process of creating the philosopher’s stone. It has been used to describe personal and spiritual transmutation in the Hermetic tradition, attached to laboratory process and chemical color changes, used as a model for the individuation process, and as a device in art and literature … “