Live in Concert 31.01.14 BBC National Orchestra of Wales - Liszt, Rozsa, Dvorak

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

BBC National Orchestra of Wales - Liszt, Rozsa, Dvorak


Live from the Grand Theatre, Swansea

Liszt: Prometheus - symphonic poem
Rozsa: Viola Concerto
Nicola Heywood Thomas talks to soloist Lawrence Power about his time on Radio 3's New Generation Artist scheme and listens to some of his recent chamber recordings.
Dvorak: Symphony no. 9 (from the New World)

Lawrence Power (viola)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Anu Tali (conductor)

Two works written in America by European compsers with fond memories of home. Dvorak's "New World" symphony combines melodies infulenced by spirituals and 'plantation songs' with a yearning for his native Czech homeland. Miklos Rozsa left Hungary to eventually become one of Hollywood's most successful and celebrated film score composers, with three Oscars to his credit. Alongside epic scores like Ben Hur and El Cid, concert music remained an important part of Rozsa's musical life. The Viola Concerto was his last orchestral work, dark and dramatic, a perfect blend of cinematic colour and sharp Hungarian accents. Soloist Lawrence Power is one of the foremost violists today, and as an alumni of Radio 3's New Generation Artists scheme, he opens this new season from Swansea with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, each of which features past members from the last decade. Liszt chose the Greek myth of Prometheus as the perfect subject for a Romantic composer. The story contains "boldness, suffering, endurance and redepmtion" - exactly what he needed to bring out his best in this dramatic and innovative score. The intriguing young Estonian conductor Anu Tali makes her debut with the orchestra.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Thanks for this, Alpie. The Rozsa Violin Concerto is a lovely piece, so I'll be interested to hear the Viola Concerto.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It's rather a pity that whenever a composer is better
known for film scores, he/she is always dragged back to this when other music is commented upon.

[Gordon]

Thanks for this, Alpie. The Rozsa Violin Concerto is a lovely piece, so I'll be interested to hear the Viola Concerto.

Quite! I'll be listening in later on!! Good that a big name like Lawrence Power has the confidence to put on a rather obscure piece like this, there aren't that many viola concertos around - more than one thinks but still rather few. Takes virtuoso to inspire them I suppose; this was written for Zukermann who was a fine violist as well. I have an EMI CD of him and Itzak Perlman playing various duos.

If you don't know it look here for a recording of the Rosza:

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.570925

or better still here:

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/c.asp?c=C3479&vw=dc for Lawrence Power's own recording on Hyperion.