Lambrechts, Jean

Jean Lambrechts is a Flemish composer, conductor, music educator and writer who has lived and worked in the Netherlands for many years. He studied at the conservatories of Brussels and Paris, where André Jolivet was an important influence, and trained in orchestral conducting with Hans Swarowsky. Lambrechts taught at the Royal Flemish Conservatory in Antwerp and the Rijkshogeschool Maastricht (now Zuyd University of Applied Sciences). He also worked for many years as a music critic.

His extensive and varied output includes seven symphonies, concertos, orchestral suites, chamber music, vocal works, music for theatre and film, and numerous choral works, often for women’s voices. His style draws on the tradition of La Jeune France, bringing together innovation and tradition. The French influence is evident in his colourful instrumentation, rich orchestration and preference for evocative expression. Many of his sacred choral works employ a modal language rooted in Gregorian chant.

Notable works include Symfonie des Louanges (Sixth Symphony, 1999), De Apocalyps (Seventh Symphony, 2000), Concerto Sinfonice and the song cycle Canciones del canto Jondo (1976). He has also explored unusual instrumental and vocal combinations, as in the miniature opera Heaven, I have lost my world, scored for fanfare band, baritone, choir and pop band. His music is performed internationally, and his honours include a knighthood in the Order of Orange-Nassau.