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The magic of classical music cast a spell over Santa Cecilia orchestra for 500 years
Starting next October, we shall enjoy the beautiful language of music with the permanent conductor of the orchestra, Antonio Pappano who is at the same time the conductor of the Royal Opera House in London. He will present an outstanding musical composed by the late American composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein at the occasion of his 100 birthday entitled “ West Side Story “ which became popular on Broadway in New York and later made into a film in the sixties starring the attractive Natalie Wood. In November 2018 the Santa Cecilia Orchestra will be led by the contemporary American composer John Adams (71 years) performing for the first time in Italy his new piece he wrote 5 years ago called “ The Gospel according to the Other Maria “. His fame was recognised by audiences since he composed his minimalist opera “ Nixon in China “ inspired by the visit of President Nixon to China in 1972.
This will be followed by a concert featuring the young gifted Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov who came to fame with rocket speed since his early successful concert in SanDiego in USA. As soloist, he will be playing the piano concerto no. 3 by Rachmaninov under the baton of Pappano. Trifonov will be succeeded by the illustrious British pianist, Paul Lewis who will be playing Beethoven’s piano concerto no.3. In 2019 the outstanding Russian conductor Yuri Temirkanov will lead the orchestra in works by Haydn and Mahler, to be followed by the South Korean maestro Myung-Whun Chung conducting Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony “ pathetique”. Chung has left his finger prints on Santa Cecilia orchestra in the nineties of the last century when he was the permanent conductor for many years. By all accounts, he had improved its performance considerably.
In February of next year, we shall see one the top emerging new conductors from the Czech Republic, Jakub Hrusa accompanied by famed American violinist Joshua Bell execute the violin concerto of the Czech composer Dvorak. The following month we shall relish the Finnish conductor Sakari Oramo along with the the American pianist who lived through several epochs, Emanuel Ax playing the music of Sibelius and Beethoven.
After that, the prominent British conductor John Eliot Gardner , who actually practices gardening, will come to conduct two famous pieces by Berlioz: Roman carnival and Harold in Italy. Gardner , a self taught musician, and grandson of an Egyptologist has studied Arabic at Cambridge University. He is known for his performances of baroque music and has introduced period instruments to English orchestras.
In April 2019 we shall hear the most famous piece in classical music, the Ninth symphony of Beethoven with the orchestra to be led by the Russian-Austrian conductor Kirill Petrenko who will take over in the autumn of that year the conductor position of the best orchestra in the world, the Berlin Philharm Top musicians descend on Rome
The magic of classical music cast a spell over Santa Cecilia orchestra for 500 years
Rome - Abdul Rahman Bitar
Everybody has fallen in love with Rome including tourists and top musicians from around the world. The upcoming excellent season of the Academy of Santa Cecilia orchestra, the most famous in Italy for more than 500 years, will showcase the best artists in classical music anywhere on the globe, fascinated by the charm of Rome, descending in harmony to dazzle the audiences. They will show a contrast to the turbulent and gloomy political and economic atmosphere prevailing in Italy nowadays.
Starting next October, we shall enjoy the beautiful language of music with the permanent conductor of the orchestra, Antonio Pappano who is at the same time the conductor of the Royal Opera House in London. He will present an outstanding musical composed by the late American composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein at the occasion of his 100 birthday entitled “ West Side Story “ which became popular on Broadway in New York and later made into a film in the sixties starring the attractive Natalie Wood. In November 2018 the Santa Cecilia Orchestra will be led by the contemporary American composer John Adams (71 years) performing for the first time in Italy his new piece he wrote 5 years ago called “ The Gospel according to the Other Maria “. His fame was recognised by audiences since he composed his minimalist opera “ Nixon in China “ inspired by the visit of President Nixon to China in 1972.
This will be followed by a concert featuring the young gifted Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov who came to fame with rocket speed since his early successful concert in SanDiego in USA. As soloist, he will be playing the piano concerto no. 3 by Rachmaninov under the baton of Pappano. Trifonov will be succeeded by the illustrious British pianist, Paul Lewis who will be playing Beethoven’s piano concerto no.3. In 2019 the outstanding Russian conductor Yuri Temirkanov will lead the orchestra in works by Haydn and Mahler, to be followed by the South Korean maestro Myung-Whun Chung conducting Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony “ pathetique”. Chung has left his finger prints on Santa Cecilia orchestra in the nineties of the last century when he was the permanent conductor for many years. By all accounts, he had improved its performance considerably.
In February of next year, we shall see one the top emerging new conductors from the Czech Republic, Jakub Hrusa accompanied by famed American violinist Joshua Bell execute the violin concerto of the Czech composer Dvorak. The following month we shall relish the Finnish conductor Sakari Oramo along with the the American pianist who lived through several epochs, Emanuel Ax playing the music of Sibelius and Beethoven.
After that, the prominent British conductor John Eliot Gardner , who actually practices gardening, will come to conduct two famous pieces by Berlioz: Roman carnival and Harold in Italy. Gardner , a self taught musician, and grandson of an Egyptologist has studied Arabic at Cambridge University. He is known for his performances of baroque music and has introduced period instruments to English orchestras.
In April 2019 we shall hear the most famous piece in classical music, the Ninth symphony of Beethoven with the orchestra to be led by the Russian-Austrian conductor Kirill Petrenko who will take over in the autumn of that year the conductor position of the best orchestra in the world, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
In addition to a very interesting concert by the French internationally known piano sisters Katia and Marielle Labeque with Semyon Bychov at the podium, Pappano will return accompanied by the American radiant mezzo soprano Joyce di Donato (of Italian origin) to sing the music of Rossini, Haydn and Brahms. The extraordinary season will be concluded by the energetic Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel in an all Beethoven concert.
In parallel, the chamber music season will feature top soloists and singers such as the Italian pianist Michele Campanella, French soprano Sandrine Piau, Russian pianist Arcadi Volodos, and the top pianist in the world, the Argentinian Martha Argerich. She will be followed by the Hungarian pianist Andras Sciff, the Louvre Museum Orchestra in Paris under Marc Minkovski, the British conductor Trevor Pinnock playing an ancient harpsichord, and later the Russian pianist Gregory Sokolov. The last concert featuring pieces by Scumann and Schubert, will be with the renowned Rumanian pianist Radu Lupu, who is known for his thick beard and his delightful poetic style.
There is no need for you to chase these big names in music all around the world. A stay or several visits to the Italian capital will do, because it has and always be a main charming capital of art, music, culture , and good food.
New generation
In anticipation of the next season, we were fortunate to attend an impressive concert led by the Czech conductor Jakub Hrusa (36 years) and accompanied by a cello player Edgar Moreau (24 years), another artist of the new generation. Both showed a high level of professionalism and noticeable talent when they performed the famous cello concerto of Dvorak and the First symphony of Brahms.
Moreau’s technique in handling the cello was remarkable in spite of his young age. The audience profusely clapped for him when he played an additional difficult short piece by Bach. Musical critics foresee a bright future for him that may bring him to the level of the legendary cellist Jacqueline du Pre who excelled in playing Dvorak cello concerto some 50 years ago. Hrusa demonstrated his competence and distinction in leading the Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Brahms’s first symphonic work. His style was dazzling specially in the last movement of the symphony with its modern, refreshing and energetic elegance and clarity. The way he builds up the climax with gradual acceleration was really exciting and imposing.
Brahms (1833-1897) was one of the great 3 Bs with the likes of Bach and Beethoven, but he was somewhat timid. He did not compose his first symphony before he became 40 years old because he thought he did not have enough experience to imitate Beethoven’s traditional style. It has been said that Brahms first symphony can be considered like Beethoven’s 10th symphony because it followed the classical structure of 4 movements with rich sold components well harmonised and joint together. The atmosphere is dramatic and expressive, and Hrusha’s reading involved contrasting vivid colors ,and lyrical and highly persuasive interpretation where elements were finely balanced with no lack of warmth or impetus.
Maestro Hrusa said “ I love playing Dvorak and Brahms at the same concert because both address the mind and the heart with balance and harmony because Dvorak was an ideal Czech composer and Brahms was an ideal German composer”. They used to call Brahms the genius from Hamburg or the North, but some critics thought he was stubborn or indeed rude at times. He had some sharp rough attacks against his critics, and even once said “ I apologise from anyone I’ve not been able to insult onic Orchestra.
In addition to a very interesting concert by the French internationally known piano sisters Katia and Marielle Labeque with Semyon Bychov at the podium, Pappano will return accompanied by the American radiant mezzo soprano Joyce di Donato (of Italian origin) to sing the music of Rossini, Haydn and Brahms. The extraordinary season will be concluded by the energetic Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel in an all Beethoven concert.
In parallel, the chamber music season will feature top soloists and singers such as the Italian pianist Michele Campanella, French soprano Sandrine Piau, Russian pianist Arcadi Volodos, and the top pianist in the world, the Argentinian Martha Argerich. She will be followed by the Hungarian pianist Andras Sciff, the Louvre Museum Orchestra in Paris under Marc Minkovski, the British conductor Trevor Pinnock playing an ancient harpsichord, and later the Russian pianist Gregory Sokolov. The last concert featuring pieces by Scumann and Schubert, will be with the renowned Rumanian pianist Radu Lupu, who is known for his thick beard and his delightful poetic style.
There is no need for you to chase these big names in music all around the world. A stay or several visits to the Italian capital will do, because it has and always be a main charming capital of art, music, culture , and good food.
New generation
In anticipation of the next season, we were fortunate to attend an impressive concert led by the Czech conductor Jakub Hrusa (36 years) and accompanied by a cello player Edgar Moreau (24 years), another artist of the new generation. Both showed a high level of professionalism and noticeable talent when they performed the famous cello concerto of Dvorak and the First symphony of Brahms.
Moreau’s technique in handling the cello was remarkable in spite of his young age. The audience profusely clapped for him when he played an additional difficult short piece by Bach. Musical critics foresee a bright future for him that may bring him to the level of the legendary cellist Jacqueline du Pre who excelled in playing Dvorak cello concerto some 50 years ago. Hrusa demonstrated his competence and distinction in leading the Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Brahms’s first symphonic work. His style was dazzling specially in the last movement of the symphony with its modern, refreshing and energetic elegance and clarity. The way he builds up the climax with gradual acceleration was really exciting and imposing.
Brahms (1833-1897) was one of the great 3 Bs with the likes of Bach and Beethoven, but he was somewhat timid. He did not compose his first symphony before he became 40 years old because he thought he did not have enough experience to imitate Beethoven’s traditional style. It has been said that Brahms first symphony can be considered like Beethoven’s 10th symphony because it followed the classical structure of 4 movements with rich sold components well harmonised and joint together. The atmosphere is dramatic and expressive, and Hrusha’s reading involved contrasting vivid colors ,and lyrical and highly persuasive interpretation where elements were finely balanced with no lack of warmth or impetus.
Maestro Hrusa said “ I love playing Dvorak and Brahms at the same concert because both address the mind and the heart with balance and harmony because Dvorak was an ideal Czech composer and Brahms was an ideal German composer”. They used to call Brahms the genius from Hamburg or the North, but some critics thought he was stubborn or indeed rude at times. He had some sharp rough attacks against his critics, and even once said “ I apologise from anyone I’ve not been able to insult yet” !
