The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) will perform Schumann's Symphony No. 3 "Rhenish" under the baton of Nicholas Carter, principal conductor of the Bern Symphony Orchestra in Switzerland, at the regular concert on the 9th at Lotte Concert Hall. Helena Juntunen, a soprano representing Finland, will present Richard Strauss's song cycle "Four Last Songs."
The first piece of this regular concert is "Near Midnight" by Scottish composer Helen Grime. This piece, commissioned by the Halle Orchestra in 2012 when Helen Grime was the associate composer of the Halle Orchestra in the UK, will have its Korean premiere. Helen Grime was inspired by D.H. Lawrence's poem "Week-night Service" to compose "Near Midnight." It consists of four continuous sections, featuring a melancholic undertow and fanfare-like brass passages throughout the piece that evoke the sound of bells.
Following this, Finnish soprano Helena Juntunen will return to the SPO stage after a long time with Strauss's song cycle "Four Last Songs," composed one year before his death. Juntunen first met Korean audiences in October 2011 through the SPO's Ars Nova series. She was scheduled to sing Sibelius's songs under the baton of former SPO music director Osmo V?nsk? in January last year, but the program was changed due to V?nsk?'s injury, and she could not perform. Juntunen has participated in an extensive range of albums from Lieder to Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with leading Nordic labels BIS and Ondine.
"Four Last Songs" consists of four songs: "Fr?hling" (Spring), "September," and "Beim Schlafengehen" (Going to Sleep), set to poems by Hermann Hesse, and "Im Abendrot" (At Sunset), set to a poem by Joseph von Eichendorff. The poems by Hesse and Eichendorff share themes related to death, and Strauss's compositions deeply resonate with reflections on approaching death and humble thoughts on life.
The final piece to be performed, Schumann's Symphony No. 3 "Rhenish," was inspired by Schumann's appointment as music director in D?sseldorf, a city along the Rhine River in western Germany. The majestic scenery of the Rhine unfolds beautifully throughout the music. The symphony consists of five movements, featuring vivid pictorial images that seem to reflect the diverse landscapes and colors of the Rhine region, a major stage of German history and legend since Roman times. The first movement features a resilient rhythm reminiscent of the proudly winding river flow, filled with heroic passion and vigor. The second movement is a gentle scherzo in the style of a L?ndler, evoking a pastoral atmosphere. The third movement conveys a soft and tender mood under the gentle moonlight. The fourth movement, inspired by the installation ceremony of the archbishop at Cologne Cathedral, is filled with a religious atmosphere. The fifth movement is festive, evoking celebratory fireworks aimed at a hopeful future.
Australian conductor Nicholas Carter will collaborate with the SPO for the first time in this concert. Since 2021, he has served as principal conductor and co-opera director at the Bern Theatre. Recently, he conducted Brett Dean's "Hamlet" and Britten's "Peter Grimes" at the Metropolitan Opera. He has held positions as Kapellmeister at the Hamburg State Opera and Berlin Deutsche Oper, and as principal conductor of the Klagenfurt Theatre and the Carinthian Orchestra.
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