Music
Photo Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
Photo Hans van der Woerd
Mahler’s Symphony No 6 Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Ilan Volkov Conductor
Mahler Symphony No 6
Hibla Gerzmava Soprano Claudia Huckle Contralto Simon O’Neill Tenor Andrew Staples Tenor Jan Martiník Bass
Mahler’s Sixth Symphony, sometimes called the ‘Tragic’, is a work of enormous power and pathos whose grimly militaristic opening march and shattering final hammer-blows seem to prophesy the mechanised conflict of the First World War. Yet amidst its cataclysmic turmoil, the Symphony is shot through with poignant lyricism, expressing profound love and serene visions of a rural idyll, with church chimes and cowbells wistfully evoking an arcadian way of life that Mahler perceived to be vanishing. Young French-Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin was widely acclaimed for his electrifying performances with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe at Festival 2013, combining blistering energy with a flair for sumptuous sound. He returns to conduct the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, of which he is Music Director, in one of Mahler’s most personal utterances. ‘Nézet-Séguin, the greatest generator of energy on the international podium’ Financial Times
45
Thomas Trotter Organ Edinburgh Festival Chorus Christopher Bell Chorus Master Jonathan Mills Sandakan Threnody Janáček Glagolitic Mass
The Festival’s concert series at the Usher Hall concludes in epic style, with a blazing confrontation between darkness and light given by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Prinicipal Guest Conductor Ilan Volkov. Edinburgh International Festival Director and composer Sir Jonathan Mills’s oratorio Sandakan Threnody honours the 2,500 British and Australian prisoners of war who lost their lives in the death marches in North Borneo during the Second World War. By contrast, Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass is a joyous affirmation of life. A cast of renowned international singers, the full force of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and acclaimed organist Thomas Trotter bring the Festival to a spectacular, jubilant close.
Friday 29 August 8.00pm
Supported by
Saturday 30 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, London
Usher Hall
Tickets* £44 £36 £27 £25 £18 £12 *Fees apply. See page 66 for details. 1 hour 30 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/mahler6
The appearance of Yannick Nézet-Séguin supported by
Québec Government Office, London
Tickets* £44 £36 £27 £25 £18 £12 *Fees apply. See page 66 for details.
Supported by
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
Performance of Sandakan Threnody supported by
eif.co.uk/bbcsso
Roxane Clayton