Munich Philharmonic: Britten / Roussel / Prokofievconducted by Tugan Sokhiev
Whenever Bacchus, the god of wine, makes an appearance, a bacchanalia is inevitable. On this occasion, it is delivered by composer Albert Roussel. The festive, dazzling cacophony is merely a prelude to the next climax of Suite No 2 from Bacchus et Ariane: the apotheosis of the mortal Ariadne, who, crowned with stars, takes her place among the gods.
Whenever Bacchus, the god of wine, makes an appearance, a bacchanalia is inevitable. On this occasion, it is delivered by composer Albert Roussel. The festive, dazzling cacophony is merely a prelude to the next climax of Suite No 2 from Bacchus et Ariane: the apotheosis of the mortal Ariadne, who, crowned with stars, takes her place among the gods.
For this mythological transformation, Roussel devises a musical language that is as rich as it is imaginative, characterised by clear contours, pulsating rhythms and a clarity of sound reminiscent of Stravinsky and Ravel. Whereas orchestral opulence prevails in Roussel’s work, Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony is characterised by the beauty of the noble (typically English?) restraint, and Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No 5 by the heroic element that struggles to rise from the dark shadows of the music.
With
- Conductor: Tugan Sokhiev
Programme
- Benjamin Britten: Simple Symphony for string orchestra, Op 4
- Albert Roussel: Suite No 2 from the ballet Bacchus et Ariane, Op 43
- Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony No 5 in B-flat major, Op 100
