Morning concert in our brand-new AB Salon with virtuoso pianist paying tribute to fallen aviation pioneers.

Frederik Croene (BE) is a Belgian pianist and composer who interrogates the identity of the classical pianist in his work at the intersection of virtuosity and experimentation. He has worked with leading composers such as Michael Beil, Stefan Prins and Frederic Rzewski and received international acclaim for his solo albums Cul de Sac (2019) and Solastalgia (2022).

With Sans Retour (2025) – also released through cortizona – he now completes a series of solo piano albums he has dubbed the ‘Trilogie van Hopeloosheid’ (Trilogy of Hopelessness). Sans Retour consists of six piano pieces, with accompanying video work by visual artist Karl Van Welden (BE), that commemorate the same number of intrepid aviation pioneers who lost their lives in plane crashes.

Among those receiving a posthumous tribute are: Yukio Seki (the first kamikaze pilot), Bessie Coleman (the first Black American stuntwoman with a pilot’s licence) and Richard Russell (a.k.a. Sky King), who stole a passenger plane – a Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 – in 2018 despite having no flying experience and performed stunts for an hour before crashing on Ketron Island.

Last summer, Croene flew to Tokyo to send the Sans Retour blank album covers back to Belgium from different post offices. The design of each cover was determined by any damage, specific stamps and postmarks. A return address was deliberately omitted.