02 THE OBC AND THE PINES OF ROME

Repertoire

CASABLANCAS: The Dark Backward of Time

MENDELSSOHN: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2

SAINT-SAËNS: Introduction et rondo capriccioso

RESPIGHI: Pini di Roma

Following the soloists’ request, we have changed the Saint-Saëns violin concerto for the Mendelssohn violin concerto

Artists

ORQUESTRA SIMFÒNICA DE BARCELONA I NACIONAL DE CATALUNYA (OBC)
Andrew Gourlay, conductor
Leticia Moreno, violin

Program

Pini di Roma is a huge work that requires an orchestra with enough muscle to tackle one of the most pompous finales of late symphonic writing.Respighi infected us with his fascination for Rome with a trilogy of symphonic poems of impetuous vitality. The second in the series, Pini di Roma (1924), is a joyous stroll around the Eternal City through its famous pines. The trees serve as an excuse to approach scenes that draw the attention of the composer: children playing noisily in the Villa Borghese, the gloomy atmosphere of the catacombs, the birds of Gianicolo (look out for the sound of the nightingale!) and the military magnificence of the Via Apia. The Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in b minor by Camille Saint-Saëns, dedicated to the Spanish virtuoso Pablo Sarasate, exhibits moments of extreme difficulty, such as the beautiful ending, with the use of harmonics in the Andantino, quasi allegretto, or the rapid pyrotechnics in the Finale. However, we will also hear, in the Allegro non troppo, some of the most lyrical phrases that have ever been imagined for the violin. The Introduction et rondo capriccioso in a minor equals the concerto in difficulty and approaches the world of the gypsy aesthetic. The Dark Backward of Time is one of the most intense and expressive works of the Catalan composer Benet Casablancas, which uses all the resources of the orchestra to take it to the limit of its dynamic range and creates a very interesting play between tension and calm.