What's
On Next?
FEBRUARY 2009
On The Brink
Seventy years ago Europe was teetering on the brink of war. Great music not only survived but thrived. It was composed and performed in the worst of circumstances, offering solace, hope and joy.
Hear the amazing Hebrides ensemble in works by Hans Krasa, Gideon Klein and Bela Bartok.
This programme is built from great pieces of music written in moments of tragedy and adversity. The aim is to highlight the power of music and art to transcend these seemingly hopeless situations and respond with an defiantly, strong vision of hope.
The programme opens with a rendering of Khaddish, a Jewish prayer for the dead played by a solo violin thus setting the tone of solitude and redemption.
Gideon Klein was a highly gifted 19 year-old on the edge of international recognition as a composer when he was incarcerated in Theresienstadt Camp. His music is full of strength, energy and melodic invention and one can hear echoes of Bartok throughout.
Bartok's sixth and final quartet was the last piece that Bartók wrote in his native Hungary, and had things turned out differently it may have been his last of all, as he found it hard to compose in the United States, where he had fled to escape World War II. Each movement opens with a slow melody marked mesto (sadly). This material is employed for only a relatively short introduction in the first movement, but is longer in the second and longer again in the third. In the fourth movement, the mesto material, with reminiscences of the first movement material, takes up the entire movement. It can be seen from Bartók's sketches that he originally intended ending with a lively dance-like finale; however, upon learning of the death of his mother, he re-wrote the last movement as a deeply sad elegy.
Rather than finish on this sombre note I took my inspiration from these brave artists and chose to follow this and end the programme with the lively 'Tanec' a dance movement from HansKrása written in 1944 shortly before he was sent to Auschwitz and was led directly from the train to the gas chambers. This piece is 'full' of life energy and belies the barbaric evil surrounding it.The performance will be in one continuous sitting with visuals on show hopefully both intensifying the experience of the music.
William Conway
Performances:
February 17th, Bathgate Regal Community Theatre
01506 433 634
February 18th, Edinburgh Queen’s Hall
0131 668 2019
www.thequeenshall.net
February 19th, Stirling Tolbooth
01786 274000
www.stirling.gov.uk/tolbooth
February 22nd, Tain Collegiate Church
01955 606695
February 23rd, Stornoway An Lanntair
01851 703 307
www.lanntair.com
February 24th, Ullapool MacPhail Centre
01854 613336
February 25th, Skye Sabhal Mhor Ostaig
01471 844 207
www seall.co.uk
February 26th, Inverness Eden Court Theatre
01463 234 234
www.eden-court.co.uk
February 27th, Musselburgh Brunton Centre
0131 665 2240
www.bruntontheatre.co.uk