A flute-playing faun, half man, half animal, seduces two sleeping nymphs 鈥� this is the story of St茅phane Mallarm茅鈥檚 poem 鈥楲鈥檃pr猫s-midi d鈥檜n faune鈥�, which provided more than ample inspiration for Debussy鈥檚 piece of the same name. This ground breaking piece, an instant hit at its 1894 premiere, was like nothing anyone had heard before; shimmering ambiguity and transparent harmonies glisten with faintly Eastern inspired melodies, subtle nuance and sheer beauty. Simply stunning鈥�
It was not on the beaches of Bali that Thierry P茅cou composed the Cara Bali Concerto, but from his home in Rouen during a covid lockdown. Deeply inspired by gamelan music, the concerto, written for today鈥檚 soloist Alexandre Tharaud, uses the percussivity of the piano to evoke the gongs and metallophones of the gamelan ensemble and the spirit of Bali. We hear this alongside Martin暖鈥檚 Third Symphony, written as a spontaneous gesture to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Serge Koussevitzky鈥檚 association with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. To conduct we welcome award-winning conductor Marzena Diakun.