Celestial vision and heavenly inspiration in a concert that begins with Beethoven and ends with Sibelius’s magnificent Fifth Symphony.
LISTEN TO SAMPLES
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In space, if you listen, you can hear the stars sing. Georges Lentz, with his profound musical vision and love of the night sky, brings that sound into the concert hall – pure and serene.
We premiered Guyuhmgan in 2001, and for its return Lentz has added solos for two of our woodwind principals. The music’s soft tones find affinity in the delicate austerity of Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments, and Beethoven’s heroic tone-poem in miniature balances Sibelius’s most memorable symphony.
Sibelius also claimed heavenly inspiration. Writing his Fifth Symphony, he said it was if God had thrown down mosaic pieces from heaven and asked him to put them back as they were – for Sibelius composing was like a celestial jigsaw puzzle, an aching mystery that even he didn’t fully understand. We may not understand the process either, but we recognise the result – invigorating and life-affirming.
HARMONY FROM HEAVEN
BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No.3
LENTZ Guyuhmgan
STRAVINSKY Symphonies of Wind Instruments
SIBELIUS Symphony No.5
Matthew Coorey conductor
Diana Doherty oboe
Alexandre Oguey cor anglais
TEA & SYMPHONY - 14 MAY
Short program: Beethoven, Lentz and Sibelius.
PRE-CONCERT TALKS
Free pre-concert talk by David Garrett in the Northern Foyer, 45 minutes before the concerts on 12, 13, and 17 May. (Not talk before Tea & Symphony.)
AUDIO PLAYER LISTING
Track 1 – BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No.3
Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Herbert von Karajan
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 445 112-2
Track 2 – LENTZ Guyumhgan
Sydney Symphony conducted by Edo de Waart
ABC CLASSICS 472 397-2
Track 3 – STRAVINSKY Symphonies of Wind Instruments (1920 version)
Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Pierre Boulez
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 457 616-2
Track 4 – SIBELIUS Symphony No.5: 3rd movement (Allegro molto)
London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Anthony Collins
DECCA 442 9493
Audio kindly supplied by Universal Music.
Currently available from iTunes: Beethoven