NOSPR / Hasegawa / Matsuoka / Concert Delights - NOSPR

This concert is included in the NOSPR subscription offer.

11 June–10 July 2026 – subscription renewal period; tickets for this concert are not available for purchase.

From 20 July 2026 concert tickets will be available for purchase exclusively as part of a subscription.

From 1 September 2026 tickets will be available for general sale.

A pleasing melody, a well-defined rhythm, sweet harmonies with a touch of dance-driven momentum – these are qualities that seldom fail to find favour with audiences. After all, a symphonic concert need not consist exclusively of works probing the depths of existential philosophy; it may instead explore the depths of aesthetic pleasure. Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No 2 draws inspiration from the tradition of danzón, a Cuban ballroom dance that eventually travelled via the port of Veracruz to Mexico City. Márquez emphasises that the work’s dance-like lightness serves as the vehicle for a particular philosophy of life, one in which sensuality is tinged with nostalgia. Manuel de Falla’s The Three-Cornered Hat, in turn, transports us to the heart of the Spanish provinces. Written for Diaghilev’s Parisian company, the ballet dazzled audiences with its folk rhythms and distinctive melodic language as much as with Picasso’s sets and costumes.

Nothing in the beguiling Introduction by Camille Saint-Saëns quite prepares the listener for the effervescent virtuosity of the Rondo capriccioso, nor for the sensuous pleasure released when the two follow one another in succession. The composer achieves the effect through a combination of deft musical instinct and sparkling invention. By the time the music has completed its arc, the impulse to applaud arrives almost of its own accord!

Fiery rhythms are not usually the first thing that comes to mind when we think about music from Japan. And yet, Akira Ifukube’s compositional debut from the 1930s – orchestrated sixty years later – proves a delightful surprise. Its sharply drawn contours and energetic spirit are balanced throughout by a lyrical and expressive sense of melody.

Adam Suprynowicz (Polskie Radio)

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