Two years after his abdication, emperor Charles V lives withdrawn in the monastery of Yuste, in the southwest of Spain. A few weeks before his death, he organises a rehearsal ceremony for his own funeral. Did he really wish to attend that moving and solemn event himself? Or was it mainly a dress rehearsal to ensure that everything would run strictly according to his wishes? The once most powerful man in the world apparently wanted to keep control, even after his death.  

The ever resourceful French conductor Simon-Pierre Bestion was named the 'Asterix of early music' by the Dutch newspaper Trouw. In La Bomba Flamenca he combines his own imagination with that of Charles, and finds inspiration in the Saint Bavo Cathedral, where the emperor was baptised in 1500, for a kaleidoscopic ritual, in which magnificent Flemish and Spanish polyphony is interwoven with traditional Arabic-Andalusian chants. This imaginary requiem of the emperor, born in Ghent, celebrates a turbulent era, at the crossroads of the Middle Ages and modern times, an era as complex as our own.  

Follow the artists
La Tempête: website | facebook | instagram | youtube | soundcloud

Practical information

Date: Thursday 10 September 2026
Address: Sint-Baafsplein 1, 9000 Ghent

Ticket prices
Rang 1 60 euro
Rang 2 42 euro
UiTPAS reduced price Tickets Gent

Timing
19:15 Doors open
20:00 Concert starts
22:00 Expected end

There is no intermission.
Please note that there are no cloakroom facilities or toilets available at this venue.

Accessibility
You can find more information about the accessibility of the cathedral on this page.

If you require additional or specific assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us via toegankelijkheid@festival.be or +32 9 243 94 94.

Getting there
The nearest bicycle parking facilities are located in Lange Kruisstraat and Maaseikstraat.
Travel by train: book your Bravo! Ticket at a discounted rate via NMBS.
More information about access to Saint Bavo's Cathedral can be found here.

Plan your visit
More useful tips for planning your visit to Flanders Festival Ghent can be found here.