Symphonie fantastique - Berlioz
Joyeuse Marche - Chabrier
Prelude a l'Apres-midi d'un faune - Debussy
Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso - Saint-Saens
La valse - Ravel
The year is 1830, Beethoven is barely two years in the ground, and an upstart young Frenchman is about to drop a bombshell that will upend the musical world for good. Berlioz’ Symphony Fantastique is a groundbreaking piece that subverts tradition, form and convention in a way that is audacious, epic in scale and yet deeply personal. A pioneering example of ‘programme music’, i.e. music that tells a story rather than being purely abstract, the tale of a lovesick young poet and his unrequited passion is woven through the five movements. He dreams of his beloved, catches sight of her at a ball, in the countryside, then imagines himself murdering her in a jealous rage and being dragged to the scaffold; finally, as the bells of the Dies Irae ring out, his soul witnesses a witches sabbath as ghouls dance around his tomb. This iconic work, never before performed at G Live, has long topped the poll of requested pieces amongst GSO players, so grab this unique opportunity to experience it live!
Sixty years on from Berlioz’s daring, Claude Debussy’s Prelude a l’Apres-Midi d’un Faune is another milestone work, often said to mark the beginning of modernism in music. Inspired by the rise of impressionism in painting, Debussy conjures a lush, sensual sound world utterly unlike anything that had gone before, full of ravishing harmony and shimmering textures.
Whilst Saint-Saens was not quite the iconoclast his fellow countrymen were, his Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso is one of the most beloved showpieces of the violin repertoire. An exuberant romp, full of dazzling pyrotechnics, it was once used to accompany a Charlie Chaplin film! We are delighted to welcome back local star Mikhail Andreev, the youngest ever pupil at the Menuhin school and - at 12 - one of the youngest ever winners of our Young Artists’ competition. He drew a standing ovation from the audience on that occasion and we are proud to assist again in what is already a meteoric career.
