PROGRAMME
BÉLA BARTÓK: Romanian Folk Dances Sz. 56 (arranged for String Orchestra)
JOSEPH HAYDN: Cello Concerto no. 2 in D major Hob. VIIb/2
BÉLA BARTÓK: Divertimento for String Orchestra Sz. 113
JOSEPH HAYDN: Symphony no. 96 in D major Hob. I/96
Conductor François-Xavier Roth
Violoncello Jean-Guihen Queyras
ABOUT THIS CONCERT
On this tour, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra continues its exploration of music closely linked to Austro-Hungarian musical traditions. As the meeting place and melting pot for different European cultures, Central Europe has facilitated, in many ways, the formation of a European identity. This journey, which began with the MCO concert at the Lucerne Festival 2017 and continues in the upcoming seasons, was developed together with conductor François-Xavier Roth, who directed the MCO in Lucerne and who returns to conduct the MCO on this project.
This tour sees the MCO and François-Xavier Roth revisiting the music of Béla Bartók and Joseph Haydn, composers who – despite coming from two different eras and cultural traditions – are synonymous with Central Europe. French cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras joins the orchestra for Haydn’s Cello Concerto no. 2, one of the most important works in the canon of cello repertoire.
Reggio Emilia is a city in which the Mahler Chamber Orchestra has performed regularly since its beginnings; the most recent MCO concert in Reggio Emilia took place in April 2017 under the baton of Artistic Advisor Daniele Gatti.