Les Métamorphoses Orchestra
Opening Concert
The Four Elements – 5/12
To open the Music Chapel Festival The Four Elements, the Métamorphoses orchestra and its soloists offer a musical journey where water, earth, air, and fire come alive through four contrasting works. From Haydn’s flowing waters to Poulenc’s blazing fire, via Shostakovich’s earthy weight and Weinberg’s airy elegance, this first evening traces a poetic path through the elements.
Water – Haydn, Symphony No. 39 “La Tempesta di Mare”
Composed around 1765-68, this minor-key symphony embodies the Sturm und Drang spirit. Sudden silences and dramatic bursts create tension, while the rare use of four horns adds a dark colour. The energetic themes evoke a restless, unpredictable sea full of vitality.
Earth – Shostakovich, Cello Concerto No. 1
Written for Mstislav Rostropovich in 1959, the concerto captivates with its lively, ironic first movement, a lyrical Moderato, an impressive Cadence, and an energetic Finale. Alexander Warenberg blends power and expressivity, supported by the ensemble, embodying the concerto’s earthy strength.
Air – Weinberg, Violin Concertino for Strings
Weinberg’s 1948 Concertino unfolds light, soaring melodic lines. Rino Yoshimoto combines virtuosity and lyrical singing, carried by the transparent strings, giving air its sense of freedom and movement.
Fire – Poulenc, Concerto for Two Pianos
Written in 1932, this concerto dazzles with Stravinskian energy and crystalline sounds inspired by Balinese music. The Larghetto pays homage to Mozart before romantic surges. The Allegro finale, with effervescent rhythms and jazzy colours, bursts like a sonic firework, with Jonathan Fournel and Mirabelle Kajenjeri in a dazzling dialogue of virtuosity and musical complicity.
Flagey, Music Chapel
