Symfonieorkest Rijnmond
Prinsekerk, Rotterdam 31 October 20.15

'French Magic'

Dukas: Symphonic Scherzo The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1896)
Chausson: Poème, op. 25 (1896)
Saint-Saëns: Marche héroïque (1870)
Bizet: Symphony in C (1855)

Alejandro Cantalapiedra conductor | Adinda van Delft violin

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An evening of French music from the second half of the 19th century - a time when Paris
was the centre of Europe. While Impressionist painters like Monet and Renoir were learning
to capture light on canvas, French composers were developing a musical voice of their own:
rich in colour, nuance and refinement.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Dukas opens the evening with wit and energy: the orchestra
tells the story of an enchanted broom that takes on a life of its own, with spectacular chaos to
follow.

Violinist Adinda van Delft rejoins our orchestra for Chausson's Poème, an emotionally
charged and lyrical 'poem' for violin and orchestra, and one of the finest examples of French
Impressionism.

Saint-Saëns' Marche héroïque is grand yet never heavy - a proud French march in full
orchestral splendour.

Finally, Alejandro Cantalapiedra leads us through a sparkling early work by Bizet. He wrote
his Symphony in C at the age of seventeen, and already showed himself to be a true sorcerer's
apprentice.