The world has become a village. Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen illustrated this with a musical journey around the world and through time with ballet music, folk songs and the Boléro. From Baroque and neo-classical to contemporary composers, from Azerbaijan and Spain to America. The connecting thread: each work is inspired by dance and/or folk music.
A beautifully varied and well-balanced programme, beginning with a 'Selection from the Suite 'Les Indes Galantes' by Jean Philippe Rameau (1683-1764). In addition to the vocal pieces, the opera ballet contains a magnificent instrumental suite with various dances from which conductor Duncan Ward made a selection. The music of this opera ballet sounds surprisingly modern and spirited. The violin section plays standing up, which also gives the performance more dynamism. The young conductor absorbs the dance-like music and conveys it to the audience in a gallant manner with a balanced, coherent and powerful sound.
The second work on the programme 'Suite from Pulcinella by Igor Stavinsky' (1882-1971). At the request of Sergei Diaghilev, founder of Les Ballets Russes, he composed a ballet based on Italian commedia dell'arte and music attributed to Giovanni Pergolezi. Stravinsky rewrote this old score by adopting specific themes and structures and adding more modern rhythms, cadences and harmonies. The ballet premiered on 15 May 1920 at the Paris Opera. Italian commedia dell'arte revisited with a Russian patina. In my humble opinion, the music lacks the spirit, playfulness and element of surprise of the genre.
After the interval, a work by Italian composer Luciano Berio (1925-2003). His oeuvre encompasses a broad range of forms and formal experiments. He is now one of the most important composers of the 20th century. He wrote the 'Folk Songs' in 1964 for his wife, American mezzo-soprano Cathy Berberian. With this song cycle, he builds a bridge between avant-garde and folk music. He dreamed of an understandable and recognizable connection between old, popular music and contemporary musical practices.
In all keys, love is celebrated. The work contains arrangements of nine traditional folk songs from countries such as Armenia, France, Italy and America. Initially written for a small instrumental ensemble and in 1973 Berio arranged his 'Folk Songs' for full orchestra. The Gabonese mezzo-soprano Adriana Bignagni Lesca was invited as soloist. A ravishing sight. She takes the stage in a long salmon-coloured gown, which is particularly flattering with her dark complexion. Her stage presence has style and allure. She has a beautiful, full, warm voice suited to lyrical repertoire with emotional depth. Her interpretation is vivid and charming and was particularly appreciated by the audience.
Bolero
After the interval, the orchestra receives reinforcement. During this Boléro concert series, Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen for the first time allows 27 young people from their youth orchestra SOV Young to perform alongside their professional musicians. This side-by-side project is a unique experience for the young musicians. They discover what it is like to play in a professional orchestra and to perform for sold-out halls in Ghent, Bruges and Antwerp. Young and still unknown talents of whom we have great expectations.
The young musicians all participated in an audition. They first join in the creation of Emile Daems and subsequently in Boléro.
SOV Composers' Academy is a project of Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen that gives young composers studying at Belgian conservatories the opportunity each year to compose a creation that fits into a concert programme of Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen.
'Te KAAP'REN' by Emile Daems is a robust piece. In a web of diverse layers, in which the original melody of the famous 17th-century sea shanty 'Al die wille te kaap'ren varen' is processed, Daems paints a picture of the courage and determination of the pirates who defy the turbulent sea and enemies. The music swells and roars with various soloists from the youth orchestra SOV Young able to demonstrate their talent in a concerto grosso style. Emile Daems: a talent to watch.
As a grand finale and pièce de résistence: the 'Boléro' by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). How a small coin can roll... Maurice Ravel composed the Boléro in 1928 at the request of Ukrainian ballerina and choreographer Ida Rubenstein. He was a strict critic of his own work. "The Bolero is not art, but a purely orchestral experiment," the composer said of it. "I am fascinated by the sound of factory machines: stable and without acceleration." The rhythm in the Boléro was to sound just as mechanical. A masterful example of the art of instrumentation. Overall, he found it a rather empty piece. Yet it became world-famous.
In a dimly lit Spanish inn, a girl climbs onto a table. Encouraged by the men, she dances the Boléro which eventually brings her into ecstasy. Maurice Bejart created an iconic work out of it in the last century with his unique choreography. The slow simplicity gives the piece something hypnotic. The melody lingers long in the listener's mind. It is precisely that simplicity that makes the piece special. A quarter-hour-long crescendo over a large number of repetitions of melody and rhythm. Each orchestra group takes its turn, alone and in combination with other instruments. Aspects that make this music exciting are the new timbres that emerge. If the Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen sounds gripping and impressive, with the addition of the 27 young musicians the result is breathtaking. Conductor Duncan Ward knows how to do justice to the colors and energy of this exceptional composition. The power and intensity of the music overwhelms and sweeps away. The fantastic build-up of this work: from one to the totality of the instrumental ensemble left the audience deeply moved. There was emotion, even tears. After the fantastic apotheosis, enthusiastic applause erupted for minutes.
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