Radio Poupoule

Cover image Radio Poupoule © Naomi Beeldens

Eclectic musical theatre with Filip Jordens and Maaike Cafmeyer centred around Francis Poulenc (“Poupoule”)

In 1943, an aircraft dropped thousands of copies of Liberté, a poem by Paul Éluard, over occupied France. Francis Poulenc responded by clandestinely composing his cantata Figure Humaine, a powerful ode to liberation. In 1946, the predecessor of the Flemish Radio Choir (Vlaams Radiokoor), the choir of the public broadcaster NIR, gave the premiere of this cantata during a special broadcast on the recently liberated “Sender Brüssel”.

Exactly 80 years later, Filip Jordens—surrounded by the musicians of I SOLISTI and the Vlaams Radiokoor—steps into the role of special guest Francis Poulenc in a staged reconstruction of this radio broadcast. Maaike Cafmeyer, as an inspired presenter, guides the conversation.

In the “studio on stage,” they drift through the folds of time, diving into the musical past and reflecting back on it from the present, with emotional testimonies and humorous ensemble singing. It is a unique way to become acquainted with “Poupoule”: his kaleidoscopic oeuvre, his vibrant personality, and his many unexpected musical ties with Belgium. As a final highlight, his delightfully surreal Le Bal Masqué.

The seasoned Poulenc enthusiasts of the musical theatre collective Les Âmes Perdues—who in 2024 spent an entire year celebrating the hypothetical 125th birthday of their favourite composer—take on the direction of the production.

Filip Jordens © Tine De Wilde

Maaike Cafmeyer © Anneke Dhollander

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• Program

  Music:

  • Francis Poulenc – Clic Clac, Dansez Sabots (from Huit chansons françaises)  

  • Francis Poulenc – Cocardes

  • Francis Poulenc – le Bal Masqué (text Max Jacob)

  • Francis Poulenc – Souvenirs

  • Francis Poulenc – Tenebrae factae sunt (from Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence)

  • Francis Poulenc – Les cloches de Malines (from Nocturnes)

  • Francis Poulenc – Figure Humaine (text Paul Éluard)  

  • Francis Poulenc – Invitation au château (selection)

  Text:

  • Mitch Van Landeghem – Radio Poupoule

• Credits

  Conductor: Bart Van Reyn
  Musicians: I SOLISTI & Vlaams Radiokoor  
  Actors: Filip Jordens & Maaike Cafmeyer
  Dramaturgy/direction: Les Âmes Perdues
  Text: Mitch Van Landeghem

  Production: Vlaams Radio Koor
  Co-production: I SOLISTI  

  Gerealiseerd met de steun van de Tax Shelter-maatregel van de Belgische Federale Overheid via Flanders Tax Shelter.

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