Henze’s astonishing final opera is a rhapsodic re-imagining of a classical tragedy. The luminous score pulsates with ritualistic percussion and possesses an “otherworldly beauty that is hard to resist” (New York Times), all the while challenging our expectations of what opera can and should be. This production is brought to life by the Royal Opera's Jette Parker Young Artists.
A force of nature, Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz wrote seven violin concertos, eight quartets and four symphonies. ‘I run, not walk,’ she said. ‘I speak fast, even my pulse beats faster than normal.’
Written on the eve of the 20th century, Schoenberg’s ultra-Romantic Transfigured Night uses the shimmering tones of a string orchestra to conjure a moonlit setting for a tale of emotional transformation.
The live final of the biennial Peter Hulsen Orchestral Song Award celebrates treasures of the orchestral song book and an array of young vocal talents.
Relentless urgency, anger and fear, with an antidote of wry satire: Weill's Second Symphony speaks of its time but has lessons that will resonate through the ages.