A Fantastic Night
Location: Poole
Date: 02-05-2012
Time: 19:30
Venue Details: Lighthouse
Works Performed
- Rimsky Korsakov : May Night Overture
- Saint-Saëns : Violin Concerto No.3
- Berlioz : Symphonie Fantastique
Performers
- Conductor : Yan Pascal Tortelier
- Soloist: Alina Ibragimova (Violin)
Inspired by the comical Gogol story, the overture to May Night is light and airy. With its freshness, simplicity and clarity of approach, as well as a hearty portion of folk song and dance, Rimsky-Korsakov evokes an idyllic scene of village life, love and celebration.
Saint-Saëns wrote his Violin Concerto No. 3 in 1880 for the Spanish virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate, and is thus scattered with virtuoso flourishes and technical pyrotechnics. Yet it also contains gems of melodies that describe in turn an easy-going Parisian feel, a Sicilian sultriness and a dynamic Spanish spiritedness.
1830 was a year of revolution and barricades on the streets of Paris. The opening performances of Victor Hugo’s Hernani gave rise to near-riots between Romantic supporters and reactionary opponents. In this year the twenty-six year old Berlioz produced his Symphonie Fantastique and thereby conceived a new world of dramatic expression and orchestral colour. It was a rare leap forward in music, an achievement that is almost inconceivable from a 26-year-old student, working a country with little symphonic tradition.
"Still only in her mid-20s but with a formidable reputation, Ibragimova brings characteristic intensity and sparkle to the music, playing the dynamic contrasts for all they are worth"
Financial Times
