La Nouvelle Libre Esthétique was founded in 2015 in Brussels as resident ensemble of the Festival ARTONOV www.festival-artonov.eu. The name was inspired by Octave Maus artistic society founded in Brussels in 1893.
From a chamber music ensemble “geometry variable” till a real chamber music orchestra, la Libre Esthétique took you throughout a kaleidoscopic repertoire. It aims to defend the music repertoire in which winds have an important role, playing from baroque music till romantics using historical instruments but also encouraging the composition of many new works and interdisciplinary collaborations with dance, theatre and visual arts.
Members consisting of the foremost specialists in historical performance practice.
The ensemble’s primary aim is also to tell the European cultural story since the Enlightenment, at the highest possible standard and with the greatest directness. They also wish to give a musical interpretation of the connections and contrasts across borders and eras that are found in this story. But in addition to this philosophical aspect, the beating heart of la Libre Esthétique remains the pure pleasure of performing and their absolute love of music: all music.
Constant, in-depth scientific research, carried out in partnership with musicologists and international institutions, enables us to rediscover forgotten or hitherto unpublished scores and also, in some cases, to be in direct contact with the families of descendants of nineteenth-century composers. Our research aims to obtain recognition for the lesser-known works of well-known composers
Musicological research is carried out in collaboration with conservatoires, universities and international research bodies. Backed up by symposia and study days, these scientific activities also take in the related fields of art history, organology, literature, the performing arts, and so on.
Through educational projects and its work in partnership with a number of international competitions, which are important springboards for young artists embarking on their professional careers, La Libre Esthétique is also actively involved in providing young musicians with an opportunity to get to know the realities of the music world today, while sharpening their critical faculties and developing their personalities. Indeed, when performing works for which there is no interpretational tradition, musicians have to find inspiration and conviction within themselves