Season finale: Alpine Symphony

Season finale: Alpine Symphony For the season finale we have brought together two of the most distinctive orchestral works of the 1900s, both written by composers who defied convention. Ligeti's violin concerto from 1992 blends Romanian folk music with electronic experiments, while Strauss's Alpine Symphony from 1915 requires 125 musicians to recreate a day's hike in the German Alps. François-Xavier Roth conducts and Carolin Widmann is the soloist. Two composers, two worlds, two ways of writing music, but one shared starting point: nature. The Hungarian György Ligeti found inspiration in Romanian folk melodies and electronic soundscapes. The German Richard Strauss brought with him memories of the mountain walks of his youth in the Bavarian Alps. Both created music that challenges, surprises and astonishes. Programme: Ligeti: Violin Concerto György Ligeti (1923-2006) was an innovative pioneer among modernist composers. On the one hand he was inspired by his Romanian roots, while at the same time also drawing much inspiration from electronic music. This gave him a completely unique compositional style. The violin concerto is correspondingly unique. It consists of five movements and is a wild, imaginative and extraordinary work. It demands an open mind from both musicians and audience. R. Strauss: Alpine Symphony When Richard Strauss (1864-1949) was young he lived in the town of Garmisch, with a view of Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze. One day he and some friends decided to climb the mountain. They set out before the sun rose and spent 11 hours on the trip. This experience inspired him to write the symphonic poem Alpine Symphony. The work is an attempt to express, through music, the feeling of climbing a great mountain. It is also a tribute to nature. The Alpine Symphony requires an orchestra of 125 musicians and was written between 1911-1915. In many ways a full stop to the late-Romantic style. It could not get more grandiose and dramatic than the Alpine Symphony. Performers: François-Xavier Roth, conductor Carolin Widmann, violin

• François-Xavier Roth
• Carolin Widmann

RECORDINGS OF THE WORKS

Richard Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie, op. 64

Open on YouTube (2019)More recordings on Kulturbase

György Ligeti: Fiolinkonsert

Listen on NRK Radio (2018)More recordings on Kulturbase

Videos from Kulturbase