Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra

Marko Letonja conductor

Nikolai Lugansky piano

BerliozOverture, Le Carnaval romain

RachmaninovPiano Concerto No 2

Franck Le chasseur maudit

Ravel Ma mère L'Oye, suite

Ravel La valse

Some of the most vivid and magical orchestral portrayals of fairy tales and stories are woven through this concert, providing the perfect showcase for the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra. Berlioz, a master of orchestration, makes a thrilling overture out of themes from his opera Benvenuto Cellini (the opera may not have been a success, but the overture most certainly was). In Franck’s symphonic poem, The Accursed Huntsman gets his comeuppance for skipping church to go hunting, and is condemned to be pursued by devils. And Ravel’s dream-turned-nightmare, La valse, also reaches a maniacal conclusion in a torrent of notes. In gentler territory, Ravel’s enchanting Mother Goose suite contains some of his most exquisite music, including a captivating violin solo, in scenes of Sleeping Beauty, Tom Thumb and the Fairy Garden.

With playing of grace, power and passion, Nikolai Lugansky is one of the outstanding Rachmaninov interpreters of our time. He has a special affinity with the composer whose Second Concerto is, he says, “full of love, full of beautiful melodies”. This was the work that propelled Rachmaninov to stardom, and it has remained one of today’s most-loved concertos.