Stavanger Symfoniorkester: Kammerfest i Valen

Welcome to a chamber concert featuring music by Arthur Honegger, Witold Lutoslawski, and Franz Schubert.

Arthur Honegger was a prominent member of Les Six, and this composition was one of his early successes. "Pastorale d'été" received a Prix Verley from the audience, who evaluated new works after premieres. The piece, subtitled "Poème symphonique," is for a chamber ensemble consisting of strings, simple woodwinds, and horn. It opens with a beautiful, floating theme first given to the horn, then taken over by the strings. The instrumentation, especially for horn, flute, and clarinet, is simple but perfectly suited to the pastoral theme. The middle section is lively and colorfully orchestrated. The main theme returns, concluding the piece in the same peaceful, romantic style as the opening.

"Dance Preludes" by Witold Lutoslawski consists of five short, contrasting movements based on folk songs from Northern Poland. The original version of the work was composed in 1954 for clarinet and piano. Later, the piece was revised for chamber ensemble and again for orchestra.

In the 19th century, death was a popular theme in romantic art and music, where it was seen as peaceful and redemptive. Franz Schubert, who suffered from syphilis, expressed his own longing for death in March 1824. The same month, he completed the string quartet in D minor, "Death and the Maiden," based on the theme from his song of the same name.

The quartet is considered one of Schubert's greatest chamber works and contains deep emotional and programmatic elements. The first movement starts powerfully with thematic and rhythmic structures, including a characteristic rhythm with a quarter note followed by triplet eighth notes. The second movement, an Andante con moto, introduces the "death" theme from the song, followed by five variations that stay close to the original. The third movement, a short scherzo, serves as a bridge to the intense finale. The finale is rhythmically challenging and drives the work towards a dramatic conclusion with the use of dotted rhythms that give a sense of relentless forward motion.

In the Kammerfest i Valen series, you will meet musicians from the SSO. Here, they play music they have personally selected. The audience is invited to sit around the musicians on the podium, as well as in the choir balcony. You get exceptionally close to the performance, making the concert experience personal and unique.

PROGRAM AND PERFORMERS

Arthur Honegger (1892-1955): Pastorale d'été, Poème symphonique, H. 31 (1920) - 10 min. (Performers to be announced)

Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994): Dance Preludes (1954) - 10 min.

Allegro molto

Andantino

Allegro giocoso

Andante

Allegro molto (Performers to be announced)

Franz Schubert (1797-1828): String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, "Death and the Maiden," D. 810 (1824) - 37 min.

Allegro

Andante con moto

Scherzo. Allegro molto - Trio

Presto

Ivana Jasova, violin

Åsne Fluge James, violin

Elisabet Skaar Sijpkens, viola

Liv Opdal, cello

Duration: Approx. 1 hour

Organizer: Stavanger Symphony Orchestra