NOSPR / Hasegawa / Matsuoka - NOSPR

Every corner of the globe has its own unique musical language, and composers have always sought ways of bringing local rhythms and traditions into the concert hall. Our forthcoming educational concert takes us on a journey through musical identities, exploring works that draw their strength directly from regional character and cultural roots. We will discover how an orchestra can become a vehicle for national spirit, bringing together different musical sensibilities.

Manuel de Falla immersed himself in the rhythms of Andalusia. In the suite from his ballet The Three-Cornered Hat, the orchestra takes on a dancing temperament, with sharp accents and distinctive rhythms that make the energy of flamenco almost palpable. Camille Saint-Saëns views Spain from a greater distance. In his Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso, he does not attempt to recreate its local colour faithfully, but instead uses it as inspiration for a dazzling concert showpiece, in which the violin sings one moment and dazzles with cascades of virtuosic passagework the next. Akira Ifukube takes us further afield. Perhaps best known as the composer of the music for the Godzilla films, in his Japanese Suite he evokes echoes of ancient Japanese rituals and traditional songs. The composer creates a world of his own, built on recurring rhythms, distinctive scales and the powerful sound of the orchestra.

We will be reminded that music has always crossed borders. It has travelled with people, absorbing their customs and stories and changing under the influence of new places. In this way, every culture has been able to find in music a voice and identity of its own.

The concert is intended for pupils in grades 7–8 of primary school and secondary-school students.

Admission is free.

Registration for the event will be via an online form and will open on Tuesday, 15 December 2026 at 2.00 pm. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Confirmation of participation will be sent by 18 December 2026.