Brussels as a crossroad for French, German and Russian musical modernism from 1919 to 1953.

As part of a larger research on the history musical modernism in Brussels, Belgium, this paper discusses the reception of international musical modernism in the inter-war period, during WW II en just after it until 1953.
In the end of 1920s and the 1930s Brussels became an important centre of musical modernism.For example, the first performance of Strawinnsky's Psalm Symphony in Brussels (1930) serves as a testimony of the city's high status comparable to other major European centres of modern music. Brussels created a unique platform for German, Russian and French modernism.
The N.I.R. (National Radio Institution (N.I.R./I.N.R.) founded in 1931, created its Great Symphonic Orchestra in 1935, comprising the first fully subsided symphonic orchestra of Belgium.
Between 1936 and 1953 this orchestra was recognized as one of the world leading orchestra's that promoted modernistic composers like Strawinksy, Prokofief, Milhaud, Bartok, Hindemith, Berg and others. Although this music was forbidden in Sender Brüssel (German occupied Broadcasting) and the Germans changed the music programming al lot, some directors managed to play the modernistic music as well. After WW II the Great Symhonic Orchestra re-established his former function as world leading orchestra promoting modernistic composers.


The research is based on a quantitative and qualitative analysis of a databank containing more than 3000 entries. The data is obtained from concert files, letters, and articles (with sources extending beyond the archives of the NIR, but including archives of composers, directors and former organizations in Brussels that promoted modernism from 1919 on). In addition, the research analyzes the musical policy, decisions of the board of the N.I.R., Sender Brüssel and the Great Symphony Orchestra between 1931 and 1958.