Late Night takes on a percussive edge with excerpts from exciting 20th century works performed by renowned percussionist Colin Currie. Calgary composer Allan Gordon Bell’s bristling Symphonies of Hidden Fire has ignited audiences since its premiere. It is matched by the lyrical, yet urgently rhythmic Rough Music – a percussion concerto by the impressive H.K. Gruber. The program also includes music by Steve Reich, Per Nørgărd, and Matthias Schmitt.
Polish pianist Rafał Blechacz performs the masterful music of his countryman, Fryderyk Chopin. Having unanimously won the 15th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Mr. Blechacz is a musician of consummate artistry and technical brilliance. This will be effortlessly evident as he performs Chopin’s Grande Polonaise Brillante and Second Piano Concerto, along with an all-Chopin solo recital in the concert’s second half.
This special ESO performance will be a must for anyone who loves the cello. Mr Wispelwey opens the performance with Bach's Suite No. 1 in G Major for Unaccompanied Cello, and the second half features Bill Eddins accompanying on piano. This concert is a unique opportunity to experience Mr. Wispelwey’s versatility, phenomenal technique, and remarkable interpretations of cello repertoire.
The 20th century was a time of exciting innovation, and you will hear music performed to illustrate the mood of this era. Composed at the height of World War II, Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony glorifies the power of the human spirit with a sound that is bright and heroic. Stravinsky’s suite from the ballet Pulcinella led him into the “neo-classical” style which dominated his compositions for decades. Swiss-born Arthur Honegger was one of the darlings of the avant-garde with his work, Pacific 231, a work inspired by the power and mechanical marvel of a train engine.