Bedfordshire Orchestral Society

Soloist Gabrielė Sutkutė

Conductor Michael Rose

Programme:

Kodaly Dances of Galanta

Grieg Piano Concerto in A Minor

Schubert Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944 (The Great)

The Bedfordshire Symphony Orchestra’s next concert, the last to be conducted by its renowned conductor, Michael Rose, will feature three masterpieces of folk dances by Kodaly, jazz rhythms by Ravel, and symphonic grandeur by Schubert.

Zoltan Kodály’s Dances of Galánta was composed in 1933 on commission for the 80th anniversary of the Budapest Philharmonic Society, and is based on the verbunkos folk music of Galánta (now part of Slovakia), where Kodály lived for several years.

In a late change to the originally advertised programme, the orchestra will welcome award-winning Lithuanian pianist Gabrielė Sutkutė to perform Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor. One of the most frequently played piano concertos, this famous concerto owes its popularity to its great pianistic bravura and its attractive lyricism. The work is strongly influenced by the Norwegian folk music in which the young Grieg was becoming greatly interested; many of the themes have an actual or suggested drone bass, a characteristic of Norwegian folk dance and the instruments on which it was played.

Franz Schubert’s  Symphony No. 9 in C major, D 944, was composed in 1828, the year of Schubert’s death, and was never heard by the composer. Indeed, the symphony’s structure may have played a part, as the Vienna Philharmonic’s musicians claimed that the work was too long and difficult even to tackle in rehearsal. The symphony begins with a noble, reflective theme, initially heard from the horns, and the work’s grandeur and sense of space throughout its four movements, together with its sheer length, helped to earn it the nickname the ‘Great C Major’.

We hope you will join us to celebrate Michael Rose’s lengthy tenure, and also enjoy this wonderful concert of music by Kodaly, Ravel and Schubert!