Citadelic festival 2026 

MAY 27 - 21H

Belgian accordion virtuosos Gwen Cresens and Philippe Thuriot join forces, performing together with their accordions, a bandoneon, and a harmonica. Cresens excels in lyricism and improvisation, while Thuriot brings technical precision and harmonic depth. Each performs solo pieces, but together they draw from one another’s repertoire. They tap into their shared love of musette, Baroque music, and the jazz in the spirit of their mutual hero, Toots Thielemans.

The accordion is an instrument of a thousand-and-one cultures — from folk to devinity; from classical music and Argentine tango to vibrant Balkan rhythms, jazz, and French chanson. Cresens first heard the accordion on the streets near the cathedral of Antwerp. Thuriot was first enchanted by the sound of the accordion in his parents’ café in Tervuren.

Gwen Cresens is a versatile musician and a born performer, at ease in many styles and blessed with a healthy sense of humor. “The most beautiful music arises where boundaries begin to blur,” he says. On his latest album, Into the Box (Verlie’s Belgian Waffle), he searches for the pure soul of music.

Philippe Thuriot’s 2012 recording of Goldberg Variations (Warner Music Benelux) left audiences speechless. More recently, he explored the many sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti, distilling their finest musical essence and weaving them together with delicate improvisations. He also released a unique album featuring new interpretations of iconic compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach: Illuminations – Improvisations on Bach (Challenge Classics).

Their unique combination of instruments creates an intimate and distinctive listening experience. Two masters of the accordion, and two friends, together on stage. There could hardly be a more beautiful way to end the evening.

OTHER CONCERTS MAY 27

with the marvelous support of De Vlaamse Gemeenschap and de Stad Gent