The concert opens in Sweden with Max Bruch’s Swedish Dances, where echoes of well-known folk melodies come to the fore, including ”Sju vackra flickor i en ring” (Seven beautiful girls in a ring). This leads into Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, a work of lyricism and virtuosity, allowing the soloist the freedom to unfold both expressive depth and brilliance.
We then move on to France, where we remain for the rest of the evening. Jules Massenet’s four Scènes pittoresques evoke a sequence of musical tableaux, among them an elegant waltz. Massenet is also the composer of the opera Manon which we stage in spring, likewise conducted by Sébastien Rouland.
From here, Joseph Canteloube’s orchestrated songs open a window onto the landscapes and folk traditions of the Auvergne region, suffused with colour and melodic warmth.
We conclude with the irrepressible momentum of Maurice Ravel’s Boléro. Built on an idea as simple as it is ingenious, a single theme is repeated no fewer than 169 times, passing through ever-shifting layers of orchestral colour. The volume rises inexorably until the music arrives at its hypnotic percussive climax, the cymbals assuming a leading role.
