London Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Performs Beethoven, Grieg, and Dvorak
At the Vittoriale degli Italiani theater in Gardone Riviera, the London Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, conducted by Paul Mann with piano soloist Clive Britton, will perform the day after tomorrow, Saturday, July 22, at 9:15 PM.
The evening, promoted by C.S. International in collaboration with the Banco di Brescia, concludes a tour by the young English ensemble that, after the Festival Gardena under the direction of Barry Tuckwell, visited four Italian cities.
On Saturday, the beautiful romantic program features Beethoven’s Overture “Egmont” op. 84, Edvard Grieg’s “Concerto” in A minor op. 16 for piano and orchestra, and Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 in G major op. 88.
Analysis of the performed works
The overture composed by Beethoven for Goethe’s drama “Egmont,” with its vast and expansive main theme indicating how closely heroic ideals are connected to those of intense love, is a piece particularly suited to immediately engage, both technically and emotionally, the members of a young orchestra.
In this way, it sets the stage for the famous Grieg Concerto op. 16, which is extremely challenging for the ensemble from the very first chord.
Although the influence of Schumann’s Concertal in A minor looms large over Grieg, the Norwegian composer manages to infuse his work with significant originality, so much so that it has entered the repertoire of major pianists, to whom Grieg dedicates a virtuosic part, grand in the first and last movements, and lyrical in the central “Adagio”, always mindful of the finesse of Schumann’s writing.
Regarding its formal structure, it is certainly classical: the first movement clearly presents two main themes, with a warmth that is very personal, and in the third movement, “Allegro moderato molto e marcato”, the composer delights in drawing motifs and rhythmic peculiarities from the folklore of his country, one of its most notable features.
The orchestra is treated with taste; the choice of concertante instruments is refined.
Tickets for the concert, available for reservation at the Vittoriale with a 10% presale discount, are 30,000 lire for the stalls and 20,000 lire for the gallery.