Concert Premieres
Saturdays in November
On Saturday nights in November, Stingray Classica viewers get front-row seats to performance premieres featuring some of the biggest names of today’s classical music scene. On Saturday, the 9th, the pianist sisters Katia and Marielle Labèque showcase their powerful virtuosity in a performance of Philip Glass’ Double Concerto. This prestigious premiere is directly followed by another: on the 16th of November, American star-conductor Marin Alsop leads the Britten-Pears Orchestra in a performance of Peter and the Wolf. On the 23rd, Alexandre Tharaud is featured in a compilation of Beethoven’s most important sonatas.
Glass - Double Concerto for Two Pianos
9 November
As part of a new collaboration with the famous composer of "music with repetitive structures" Philip Glass, French pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque perform the European premiere of Glass's Concerto for two pianos with the Orchester de Paris. The program continues with Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 with the Orchester de Paris, directed by Jaap van Zweden, current music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the next musical director of the New York Philharmonic.
Prokofiev - Peter and the Wolf
16 November
Leonard Bernstein, David Bowie, Bill Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev, they have all once narrated the world-famous symphonic fairy tale 'Peter and the Wolf' (1936), composed by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953). In this work, every character is illustrated by a different instrument (or section), with its own musical theme. Peter, for example, is represented by the strings, his grumpy grandfather by the bassoon, the cat by the clarinet, and the bird by the flute. As the narrative progresses and the characters interact with each other, the musical themes beautifully entwine. This performance (2018) is narrated and conducted by Marin Alsop. The musical accompaniment is provided by the Britten-Pears Orchestra.
Beethoven - Last Sonatas, Op. 109, 110 & 111
23 November
Beethoven’s last three sonatas – Opus 109, 110 and 111 – explore the intimate meanders of the human soul, from despair to transfiguration. At the time of their composition, Beethoven was already locked in himself by his deafness. This deeply affected his relationship to others and to the world. This "psychological framework" is explored by director Mariano Nante, setting pianist Alexandre Tharaud in a film inspired by the universe of Tarkovski. Filmed in abandoned castles, and lit by director of photography Yorgos Arvanitis, this work evokes solitude and introspection and offers an inner journey through images and music.
