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Path of Virtues

12.11.24 – 01.03.26
selfguided tour
20241007 MSK Behind the scenes c Martin Corlazzoli COR05322

Young talent Lennert Baerts composed music inspired by the Van Eyck brothers' Ghent Altarpiece at the request of the Brussels Jazz Orchestra. This audio walk takes you through the MSK collection. The selection of artworks, from Rubens to Bruegel, visualizes a diverse palette of virtues that invites you to explore the silence within themselves.

Path of Virtues is a musical ode to the Ghent Altarpiece, consisting of 7 parts and accompanies you during your visit to the MSK collection. The music fragments are linked to 7 virtues and keep you company with 7 works of art, from Rubens to Breughel, Minne and the restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece.

Curious about the inspiration and story behind the music? Then be sure to read more about it via this link.

The artworks in the musical route

Ouverture: brothers Van Eyck - The Ghent Altarpiece

The overture is a musical representation of the upper register of the Ghent Altarpiece. Although it serves as the introduction to this mass, it was composed last. In this upper register, the transcendental is represented by the glorified figure of Christ.

20230705 MSK Restauratie III Lam Gods c Martin Corlazzoli COR01836 LR

I Temperantia: Jheronimus Bosch - Saint Jerome

The link to ‘Saint Jerome’ by Jheronimus Bosch arises because this painting seems to capture the moment when the ascetic Jerome renounces his earthly possessions and existence. This scene, even today, prompts reflection. In an age where we are inundated with production, choices, frenzy and abundance, we often become alienated from our essence and lose a sense of moderation.

Jheronimus Bosch, 'Saint Jerome', c. 1485, MSK Ghent

II Caritas: George Minne - Mother Grieving over her Dead Child

This part of the mass carries an unmistakable emotional heaviness, which begins even at the sight of the heartbreaking sculpture of George Minne. It evokes a universal feeling: the love of a mother that transcends even death.

1996 A kopie

III Prudentia: Gustave Van De Woestyne - Christ in the Wilderness

In 'Christ in the Wilderness ’ by Gustave van de Woestyne, everything revolves around the glorification of God and the inner conflict of Jesus.Through musical stillness, a sense of frozen time, I try to evoke the immense emptiness of the desert.

Gustave Van de Woestyne, 'Christus in de woestijn', 1939, MSK Gent

IV FORTIS: Peter paul rubens - The Flagellation of Christ

‘In The Flagellation of Christ by Rubens, the virtue FORTIS is expressed in the way Christ endured his suffering. His
perseverance and inner strength, with which he accepted his fate, remain an inspiration to many to this day.

Rubens

V FIDES: Léon Frédéric - The Funeral Meal

Fides, which stands for faithfulness or belief, is undoubtedly one of the most personal parts of this mass. Although the painting depicts a funeral meal, faith and consolation are especially central. 

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VI IUSTITIA: Pieter ii Brueghel - Village Lawyer

At first glance, Pieter II Brueghel's painting Village Lawyer seems almost blatantly linked to the virtue IUSTITIA, or justice. Brueghel's work, like many of his paintings, acts as a historical document that gives a deeper insight of the time in which it was painted.

After Pieter II Brueghel, 'Village Lawyer', 1621, MSK Ghent - Collectie Vlaamse Gemeenschap

VII SPES: Emile Claus - The skaters

And thou shalt renew the face of the earth... Fill the hearts of thy faithful people... These phrases from the Alleluia text sparkle with hope and are perfect for expressing the virtue Spes (hope) in the last part of the mass. The work evokes an image of hope for a better future, just as the children in the painting seem to symbolise the untainted potential of that future. When we look through the eyes of a playing child, we mostly see unlimited possibilities and hope.

Emile Claus, 'Skaters', 1891, MSK Ghent

Music: ‘Mass of Seven Virtues’, composed and arranged by Lennert Baerts, Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Vitja Pauwels (guitar), Sep François (percussion) & Andrew Claes (electronics)

Recorded at Alaska Studios (Lokeren, Belgium). Recording supervisor: Lieven Cambré. Editing: Jan Viggria. Mix: Peter Philips. Mastering: Frederik Dejongh – Jerboa Mastering. Artistic project leader: Lennert Baerts. Executive producer & production coordinator: Thadeus Jolie for Brussels Jazz Orchestra vzw. Communication: Betty Vanlangendonck. Office management: Roxane Baeyens.