About

The concert programme invites listeners to embark on a colourful and temperamental journey through the sounds of the Mediterranean, featuring four prominent French composers from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Although their creative paths differ, they are all united by a special attention to orchestral colours, rhythmic tension, and vivid musical dramaturgy.

Emmanuel Chabrier’s Rhapsody for orchestra España (Spain) is the composer’s most famous work, written after a trip to Spain, where he explored local folklore, mythology, and dance. On his way to Paris, he planned to write a fantasy based on his travel experiences to entertain his audience. Gradually, the planned piano duo turned into a rhapsody for orchestra, which brought the composer fame overnight. 

Camille Saint-Saëns composed his Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 5 while visiting Luxor, the city of temples in Egypt. The work turned to be quite exotic: it was enriched with influences from the music of Java island, Spain, and the Middle East, and was therefore nicknamed Egyptian. Suites from ballets by Albert Roussel and Maurice Ravel will transport listeners to the colourful world of ancient Greek mythology. 

In this concert, the stunningly colourful works by the French composers will feature special performers: guest conductor Kornilios Viktor Michailidis from Greece, winner of the prestigious International Tokyo Conducting Competition, and pianist Magdalene Ho, a guest from exotic Malaysia.

The concert is organized in cooperation with the Min-On Concert Association and the Tokyo International Conducting Competition