ConcertPulse
Guildhall Symphony Orchestra: An Alpine Symphony
Barbican Centre, Barbican Hall (London)
Join Guildhall Symphony Orchestra for an awe-inspiring evening of music in Barbican Hall, conducted by alumnus Roberto González-Monjas.
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Join Guildhall Symphony Orchestra for an awe-inspiring evening of music in Barbican Hall, conducted by alumnus Roberto González-Monjas.
1–2–3, 1–2–3, round and round in circles, usually clockwise but not necessarily: experts, and the Viennese, are capable of going counter-clockwise, too – the waltz is more than just a dance. It embodies euphoria, elegance, and pure energy. Plus, its momentum makes for a great flirting method. Spinning around in triple time gets people closer together, and they can test for future compatibility: The less they step on each other’s feet, the better the prospects. In 1911, Maurice Ravel composed a cycle of »noble and sentimental« waltzes for piano, paying homage to Franz Schubert, Frédéric Chopin, and Robert Schumann. The pieces are witty, creative, and full of surprise effects. Still, the premiere ended in disaster, entailing a shower of mockery and incomprehension. Yet Ravel saw no reason to give up: The following year, he wrote a version for orchestra, serving the ballet music genre. This time, things went a bit better, maybe because the music now had an accessible (and quite perfumed) plot, illustrating the story of a young Parisian woman who is wooed by different men. Where? On the shining dance floor, of course, under sparkling chandeliers. Reverie, passion, play, and insanity: The magic of love is what carries us through life, and famously, it is not always a bed of roses. Hector Berlioz knew what he was talking about: His (at the time) unrequited passion for a capricious Irish actress inspired him to write his Symphonie fantastique. Yet this is no tale of dalliance and seduction. Instead it tells of what might follow if things go south: Agony, jealousy, fury, frenzy, in all shapes and forms, and a wide range of nightmares. The dramatic love story centres around an elegant waltz: At a glamorous ball, the lovestruck protagonist meets the prim object of all his pain. But sadly, the triple time fails to do its magic and his beloved doesn’t even take notice of her admirer – she jokes around with others and eventually sets off a psycho-catastrophe. Swedish composer Anders Hillborg dedicated his second piano concerto to the phenomenal American pianist Emanuel Ax. This piece, too, is a dance, a virtuosic sprint across the keys, on the brink of being technically unplayable, and introducing us to unheard-of realms of sound. Sakari Oramo, the Finnish star conductor, returns to the Gürzenich Orchestra.
1–2–3, 1–2–3, round and round in circles, usually clockwise but not necessarily: experts, and the Viennese, are capable of going counter-clockwise, too – the waltz is more than just a dance. It embodies euphoria, elegance, and pure energy. Plus, its momentum makes for a great flirting method. Spinning around in triple time gets people closer together, and they can test for future compatibility: The less they step on each other’s feet, the better the prospects. In 1911, Maurice Ravel composed a cycle of »noble and sentimental« waltzes for piano, paying homage to Franz Schubert, Frédéric Chopin, and Robert Schumann. The pieces are witty, creative, and full of surprise effects. Still, the premiere ended in disaster, entailing a shower of mockery and incomprehension. Yet Ravel saw no reason to give up: The following year, he wrote a version for orchestra, serving the ballet music genre. This time, things went a bit better, maybe because the music now had an accessible (and quite perfumed) plot, illustrating the story of a young Parisian woman who is wooed by different men. Where? On the shining dance floor, of course, under sparkling chandeliers. Reverie, passion, play, and insanity: The magic of love is what carries us through life, and famously, it is not always a bed of roses. Hector Berlioz knew what he was talking about: His (at the time) unrequited passion for a capricious Irish actress inspired him to write his Symphonie fantastique. Yet this is no tale of dalliance and seduction. Instead it tells of what might follow if things go south: Agony, jealousy, fury, frenzy, in all shapes and forms, and a wide range of nightmares. The dramatic love story centres around an elegant waltz: At a glamorous ball, the lovestruck protagonist meets the prim object of all his pain. But sadly, the triple time fails to do its magic and his beloved doesn’t even take notice of her admirer – she jokes around with others and eventually sets off a psycho-catastrophe. Swedish composer Anders Hillborg dedicated his second piano concerto to the phenomenal American pianist Emanuel Ax. This piece, too, is a dance, a virtuosic sprint across the keys, on the brink of being technically unplayable, and introducing us to unheard-of realms of sound. Sakari Oramo, the Finnish star conductor, returns to the Gürzenich Orchestra.
“…vivacious, funny, heroic, eloquent, plain-spoken, thoughtful and wholly irresistible…This is a work in which constructive ingenuity and the pleasure principle walk arm in arm…” one reviewer wrote after the premiere of Anders Hillborg’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in the fall of 2023.Hillborg wrote the concerto for the pianist legend Emanuel “Manny” Ax, who is also tonight’s soloist with the Oslo Philharmonic. Hillborg writes about the subtitle The MAX Concert: “It suggests – in powerful ALL CAPS – the exuberance and genius of the outstanding pianist.”In the last few decades, Anders Hillborg (b. 1954) has become one of the most versatile and most-performed composers. He has written music for film and television and collaborated with pop artists like Eva Dahlgren. His orchestral pieces have a film score-like visual feel.Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) often found inspiration in the Finnish national epic Kalevala, and his music has almost become synonymous with Finnish nature and mythology. In the 1890s, he wrote four symphonic poems about Lemminkäinen, one of the most famous heroes in Kalevala. Lemminkäinen is a fearless adventurer and skirt-chaser, a sort of Finnish Don Juan. Lemminkäinen does not form a coherent narrative but independent episodes. Sibelius is more concerned with recreating the mood and atmosphere than telling a story.The second of the four symphonic poems in Lemminkäinen is the most famous and often performed as an independent work: Swan of Tuonela, in which Lemminkäinen meets the enigmatic swan guarding the realm of the dead. The swan is portrayed through a famous solo for English horn.
A puppet is brought to life, but is then plagued by bothersome human feelings like love, jealousy and anger … and dies again. That’s the story of Petrushka from Stravinsky’s ballet of the same name from 1911. A Russian cousin of Pinocchio? Well yes, but without the happy ending of a Disney film, not spun out of sugar, like candy floss, which didn’t yet exist in St. Petersburg in the 1830s, where the tragic story takes place. But instead, delightful fun fair music, Russian folk songs and dances. All in the scope of the ›Debut‹ series, where you can experience tomorrow’s stars today with the DSO.