Saturday 17 October 2020

Beethoven's Fate Symphony from 1808 is on the list of the ten most played classical works. The symphony was written in troubled times and was a musical expression of the composer's critical social engagement.

Beethoven's dramatic opening motif immediately captures the audience's attention. The symphony was written in a time marked by turmoil both for Beethoven himself, he began to lose his hearing, and in the society around him the Napoleonic wars were ravaging Europe.

The concert opens with Ralph Vaughan Williams' deeply beautiful serenade written for Sir Henry Wood, the founder of the famous promenade concerts, now the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. The unique work was tailored for sixteen selected and famous singers. The text is based on Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice.

Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks' music is closely linked to his homeland's struggle for independence, and is colored by the conflict between humanistic ideals and the real history filled with violence and despair. The viola concerto was written for, and premiered by, Maxim Rysanov in 2016. Tonight our own sparkling solo violist, Ilze Klava, is the soloist in her compatriot's work.

Good vibrations

Why are we moved by the voice, and especially the singing voice? By Stefan Kölsch.

Our music and science series continues this season as well. Professor Stefan Kölsch, a world-leading researcher on music and the brain, will explore the effects of "good vibrations" on our health and well-being. Together with the orchestra, he wants to demonstrate/show that everyone has a sense of music, and will reveal what happens in our brain and body when music surprises us.

Together, we will also uncover what makes musical surprises pleasant for us, and what happens in the brain when music awakens emotions in us. Moving in a community often reinforces these feelings and makes us come closer to each other.