NOSPR / Bortolameolli / Zdunik - NOSPR

The sea is an element close to a Brit’s heart and one which permeates British culture. The Four Sea Interludes are fragments of one of Benjamin Britten’s most excellent works. In the opera Peter Grimes, the sea shimmers in the sun as in Turner’s paintings, but also becomes storm-tossed and roars, swallowing its victims and washing them on the shore, thus reflecting the characters’ emotions.

Claude Debussy would also gladly stare into the marine infinitude. Initially, one of the parts of the La Mer triptych was to depict the surroundings of Corsica, but the composer eventually settled for more symbolic suggestions, for, as he claimed, the sea is “mother to us all”.

A modern version of the symphonic sound can be found in the LA Variations, with which Esa-Pekka Salonen paid tribute to the LA Philharmonic’s perfection. It is only in Camille Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 that the orchestra will move to the background today, for it is the soloist who is of primary importance here. Marcin Zdunik will extract its very musical essence from the virtuosic piece.

Adam Suprynowicz

Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes