Repertoire

Felip Pedrell:  “Trionfo della fama”, Symphonic Poem (1880) 12′
F. J. Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob.VIIb:1 (1761-1765) 24′
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op.73 (1877) 43′

Artists

Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (OBC)
Nicolas Altstaedt, cello
Ludovic Morlot, conductor

Program

The apotheosis of Romanticism and the triumph of our musical heritage.Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, which dates back to the same creative period and shares the same tonality as his Violin Concerto, can be regarded as the apotheosis of musical Romanticism, enriched by a multitude of influences. From the moment it opens, a subtle atmosphere of melancholic joy, full of chiaroscuros, is created through gentle dialogue between the horns and woodwind instruments, tempered by the strings. It is a superb compendium of the “plastic beauty” that Daniel Gregory Mason found in Brahms’ work.

Despite its rediscovery in the 20th century, the first of F. J. Haydn’s cello concertos is one of the most famous of his works. While its music is rooted in the Baroque, the soloist’s expressiveness offers a glimpse of the future.

Felip Pedrell completed his symphonic poems after stays in Italy and France, before Richard Strauss managed to finish his. Together with Excelsior, written in the same year and recorded in 2001 by the OBC, I trionfi (Triumphs) represents one of his most productive periods. The manuscript of the score contains copied fragments of I trionfi, Petrarch’s allegorical poem that inspired the Tortoso-born composer in this work for orchestra:  “What profit have ye from your blind pursuits? Ye all return to the great ancient mother: Even the memory of your names is lost”. This concert will recapture a piece of our musical heritage so that fame triumphs.

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