Program:

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Sheherazade, Op. 35

The BFO’s new concert format, “Storytime with Iván” is increasingly popular: the concerts are intended mostly as an introduction for those who may be less familiar with the world of classical music, but would like to immerse themselves in it. At the March concert of the Festival Orchestra, considered one of the 10 best ensembles in the world, Iván Fischer will transport audiences to the world of the Arabian Nights. In Rimsky-Korsakov’s popular piece, Scheherazade (portrayed as the sound of the solo violin) escapes death by entertaining for one thousand and one nights the Sultan Schariar (trombones and tuba), who has executed each of his wives, one after the other. The composer set four tales to music in 1888, describing the characters with apposite orchestration: Sindbad (cello), Kalandar (bassoon), the love story of the Young Prince and the Young Princess (two violins) and the story of a festival in Baghdad. At the concert, the music director of the BFO will serve as the narrator of the Arabian stories, complementing the wonderful and sweet melodies of the music.