07 THE OBC AND HOLSTS’S THE PLANETS

Repertoire

BENJAMIN: Dance Figures

HUMMEL: Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra

HOLST: The Planets

Artists

ORQUESTRA SIMFÒNICA DE BARCELONA I NACIONAL DE CATALUNYA (OBC)
Jaime Martin, conductor
Mireia Farrés, trumpet
Female chorus of the Cor Lieder Càmera

Program

The Planets is the orchestral suite that made the English composer Gustav Holst globally popular.Composed between 1914 and 1916, the orchestral suite The Planets consists of seven movements that describe each of the planets in the solar system and evoke the character that the author associated with its corresponding astrological sign. Holst was inspired by the astrological theories of his partner, the writer Clifford Bax, who introduced him to the study of the relationship between the movements of the stars and human psychology during a visit to Majorca in 1913. Incorporating the advances of Arnold Schoenberg, but true to the tradition of symphonic poem by Richard Strauss, the composer created a work that contributed to the revitalization of English music from the early XXth century. Since its premiere in 1918, the work has not ceased being programmed all over the world. Johann Nepomuk Hummel wrote his Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra in E major for Anton Weidinger, the inventor of the modern trumpet. Composed in 1803 to mark his entry into the Esterházy court, it has always been a favourite concerto for soloists of this instrument, being an ideal vehicle for the talented soloist of the OBC, Mireia Farrés. George Benjamin is, without doubt, the English composer and teacher with the most international influence today. His first ballet, Dance Figures, is an excellent opportunity to approach the work of one of the great musicians of today.