Antonello Manacorda conducts Berlioz's 'Simfonia fantàstica' to the auditoriums of Les Arts i Castelló

Les Arts és Simfònic

• It proposes a program 'with a French accent', which includes the 'Nocturns' by Debussy and the 'Homenatge a Debussy' by the Valencian Manuel Palau
• The concert by the Turin conductor and the OCV will take place here on the 24th at the Auditori de Les Arts and on the 25th at the Auditori de Castelló

Valencia (03/22/2023). The Italian conductor Antonello Manacorda returns to Les Arts two years after his memorable debut on the Valencian podium to appear at the head of the Choir of the Generalitat and the Orchestra of the Valencian Community (OCV) with works by Berlioz, Debussy and Manuel Palau.

The public will be able to watch this 'soirée' dedicated to French sound from the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, here from 24 to 7:30 p.m. at the Auditori de Les Arts and also on Saturday 25 at midnight at the Auditori of Castelló.

Manacorda, which will cause a sensation in 2021 with the exquisite direction of Debussy and Berlioz, will revisit these two great composers, to whom will be added the Valencian Manuel Palau, who will be a pupil of Ravel and Koechlin, and is greatly influenced by the French style of the time.

As an introduction to this concert, the OCV will perform 'Homenatge a Debussy' by Palau, a short-duration orchestral piece dedicated to Debussy and containing references to the Spanish and Valencian tradition. Patriarca's Alfara native created it after a trip to Paris in 1929, eleven years after the death of the prestigious French composer.

They will then perform Claude Debussy's 'Nocturns', a symphonic triptych that will be completed between 1897 and 1899, and which is inspired by the landscapes of the quadres of the impressionist painter James McNeill Whistler. The first movement, 'Nuages', draws a calm and immutable scene, while 'Fêtes' illustrates the renewal of a festival. Finally, 'Sirènes' will use the female veus of the Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana to represent a magical and captivating sea.

The second part of the concert is occupied by Hector Berlioz's 'Fantastic Symphony', an emblematic piece of early Romanticism and programmatic music. Berlioz composed this work thinking about the Irish actress Harriet Smithson, with whom he was deeply in love. In order to impress her, he will devise this story about an artist who, after the refuge of his beloved wife, decides to escape from reality using drugs and becomes trapped in an evil.

The prices of the locations for this vetlada range between 30 and 54 euros. Les Arts reminds that those under 28 years old will be able to get tickets for a price of 10 euros to the symphonic concerts of the season and also to the 'lied' recitals and the ancient and baroque music cycle.

Antonello Manacorda

Antonello Manacorda is one of the directors with the greatest projection of the moment and is highly sought after by the main theaters and orchestras of the world, among which are other operas in Vienna, Berlin or Paris, which he will visit in this 2022-2023 season.

The director of Franco-Italian films is mainly recognized for his versatility and rich musical and cultural background, qualities that have allowed him to master a wide repertoire, both operatic and simphonic, facing a special affinity for Germany.

Manacorda will be one of the founding members of Claudio Abbado's Mahler Chamber Orchestra, in which he will occupy the position of concertmaster during his stay and with which he continues to be closely linked.

Since 2010 he has been the artistic director of the Kammerakademie Potsdam ensemble, which has made multiple recordings under the Sony Classical umbrella. For these he has guaranteed awards with the Echo Klassik 2015 to the greatest orchestra of l'any for the seua interpretation of the symphonies no. 2 and 4 by Schubert, or l'Opus Klassik 2022, in the mateixa category, for the symphonies no. 39, 40 and 41 by Mozart.