8th Symphony Concert - Intoxicating Sounds

For the last symphony concert of the season, the TSOI plunges into a veritable frenzy of sound. Alexander Scriabin was considered an eccentric and a pioneer in terms of tonality in his day. He made his breakthrough with his impressive orchestral workLe Poème de l'Extase, which is permeated with chromatic harmonies and evokes associations with Richard Strauss' tone poems and Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. The poem he wrote himself, which is around 370 lines long and forms the basis of the work, revolves around intoxication and ecstasy, love and freedom.

Rachmaninoff's famous Second Piano Concerto is also intoxicating (beautiful): wistful sounds, beguiling melodies, and virtuoso elegance come together in an impressive way. With Tzimon Barto, who is not only a gifted pianist but also a passionate author, the TSOI immerses itself in the poetic sound world of the "last romantic," who, unlike his fellow student Scriabin, took a more traditional path. György Ligeti also used a very moderate tonal language in hisConcert Românesc, composed in 1951, yet the four-movement orchestral concerto was considered politically incorrect during the communist Sozrel dictatorship in Hungary.

This charming early work is based on folk melodies that the then 26-year-old Hungarian composer had absorbed during his studies in Romania, and captivates with enchanting solos and striking rhythms. Born in Transylvania (Romania), Ligeti expressed his deep love for Romanian folk music in this work.