CARMINA BURANA
Two emblematic works of the interwar period, each with extraordinary emotional power. The Junior Orchestra, conducted by James Gaffigan, will take the stage for the first time in an evening concert at the Salle des Combins. Alongside them, Bruce Liu, First Prize winner of the Chopin Competition, will bring Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 to life, while the Oberwalliser Vokalensemble will showcase the full strength of their voices in the famous Carmina Burana.
Programme
SERGEI PROKOFIEV (1891-1953)
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major Op. 26
Interval
CARL ORFF (1895-1982)
Carmina Burana
Artist(s)
- Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra
- James Gaffigan conductor
- Sunnyboy Dladla tenor
- Oberwalliser Vokalensemble choir
- Bruce Liu piano
Bruce Liu plays Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 11: 3. Rondo (Vivace)
Composed in 1921, Prokofiev’s Third Concerto for piano was an international triumph at its creation. It has to be said that by then Prokofiev had clearly identified the essential elements of his language, combining dreamy lyricism and grating, mocking rhythms. Performing with the Cleveland Orchestra from the age of 15, Bruce Liu won First Prize and was a revelation at the Chopin Competition in 2021, giving the work a breath of fresh air in keeping with its daring character.
Carl Orff, for his part, composed his famous ‘Carmina Burana’ in 1936 despite the complex political context, a sort of modern cantata seeking stylistic efficiency in both form and content, with a view to accessibility. Rejecting the contributions of Stravinsky, Bartók and Schoenberg, he drew his inspiration from early music, with Monteverdi at the forefront, at a time when many composers, such as Respighi and Richard Strauss, were exhuming the music of the Renaissance, imbuing the work with a sacred vitality.