Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra to Singapore
Wednesday 7 October 2009
Which is the common denominator of yoga, Nobel Prize winer Wole Soyinka, the film High Society, Elvis Costello and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra? They are all featured in the Singapore Sun Festival. This will take place from 3 until 12 October 2009. It is the second of three Sun Festivals. The others have been held in Napa Valley (last July), California, and will take place in 2010 in Toscany (Italy).
Three concerts
The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra will give three concerts: on 7, 9 and 10 October. These will take place in the Esplanade Concert Hall. This is one of the halls of the futuristic cultural building Esplanade. Soloists are flautist Sir James Galway, pianist Conrad Tao, cellist Nina Kotova, soprano Angela Gheorghiu and tenor Marius Tanea. The first two concerts will be conducted by chief conductor Jaap van Zweden. Paolo Olmi will lead the orchestra on 10 October. It is the first time the orchestra ventures beyond Europe.
Programming
James Galway will play the solo part in the second Flute Concerto by Mozart on 7 October. On 9 October somewhat curious programming with two soloists. Nina Kotova will play the Cello Concerto (2009) she commissioned from Christopher Theofanidis (read more below). After this Conrad Tao will follow with Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini. The Overture 'Cyrano de Bergerac' by Dutchman Johan Wagenaar will open this concert appropriately.
Opera
The concert on 12 October with superstar Gheorghiu en Tanea is entirely dedicated to Italian opera. Arias by among others Verdi, Puccini en Donizetti will be performed.
singaporesunfestival.com
Cello Concerto Theofanidis
Christopher Theofanidis was born in 1967 in Dallas, USA. By now his orchestral work Rainbow Body from 2000 has been performed by some 70 orchestras. This makes it the most-performed orchestral work by a living composer. Theofanidis has also written for example a symphony and concertos for among others piano, violin, viola and bassoon. Recently he has added the cello.
Nina Kotova
The composer has written his Cello Concerto for Nina Kotova. The first and third movements are extremely virtuoso. The second movement is mainly played in the low register. Kotova has commented on the concerto: “I have become attracted to a certain spirituality in Chris’ music and to a certain type of ‘light’ that shone through.”
Virtuoso
“It is the type of musical expression that unites the Russian and Greek music by the Byzantine tradition. I believe that the newly commissioned cello concerto reflects the dramatic and brilliant virtuosity of the instrument……The third movement is highly virtuosic … with lyrical melodies…. and swirling sixteenths in the high register finishing the concerto with the brilliant coda.”