On Wednesday 10 May, our Journeys of Discovery series continued with Psychedelia in Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, a concert of works that featured music born from the deepest parts of the human psyche, concluding with the serene to the demonic scenes of Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique, conducted by Vasily Petrenko.
Jennifer Higdon's blue cathedral is one of the most frequently performed works by a contemporary composer with more than 700 performances since its premiere in 2000. Written as a memorial for her deceased brother, she describes the evocations of "Cathedrals… a place of thought, growth, spiritual expression… serving as a symbolic doorway in to and out of this world."
The piece featured players shaking Chinese bells in addition to their usual instruments and incorporated wine glasses filled with different amounts of water that would ring at certain pitches.
Following was Prokofiev's Violin Concerto with soloist Arabella Steinbacher, the composer's final work written in the West before he returned to Russia in 1936.
Arabella played from the first movement of Prokofiev's Solo Sonata for Violin for her encore.
The concert's centrepiece was Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique, a symphony in five movements that the composer wrote, aged 26, whilst infatuated with actress Harriet Smithson. The symphony conceptualises the mind of an artist and all their creative passions, imagination and deep despairs in scenes that range from a stately ball to a cacophonous witch's sabbath.
A ‘Psychedelia’ @rpoonline ‘Journeys of Discovery’ at @southbankcentre. Under conductor @VasilyPetrenko, Jennifer Higdon’s blue cathedral, Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No.2 (with Arabella Steinbacher) and Berlioz’ “hallucinatory” Symphonie fantastique all transcendent in own way. pic.twitter.com/SrN8ZFMy6h
— John Earls (@john_earls) May 10, 2023
Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique is never not incredible. Brilliant by @rpoonline tonight pic.twitter.com/HtgZ2LRyDv — Harry Taylor (@HarryTaylr) May 10, 2023
I think I could call this concert "weird and weirder", for all the pieces performed were odd, the most bizarre being, of course, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. Quite a spectacular hair-raising performance of the symphony. pic.twitter.com/vFZ9Ma9Mzv — Frederique Reibell (@FredReibell) May 10, 2023
Our Journeys of Discovery series concludes with Shostakovich's Symphony No.8 on Wednesday 7 June 2023 at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall.
Have our performances in Journeys of Discovery inspired you? Continue your musical journey and discover more music from the composers featured and pieces that inspired the repertoire.
