Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts works by Tchaikovsky and Ravel

This concert sees Yannick Nézet-Séguin present two of the greatest love stories in world literature – in settings whose music just quivers with emotion. First, there are Romeo and Juliet, portrayed by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky with late-Romantic indulgence. In contrast are Daphnis and Chloé, whose story from atiquity is retold by Maurice Ravel in a tonal language that is sometimes delicate and sometimes angular and archaic.

The press wrote of a “memorable evening” with a “rising star in the conducting firmament” when Yannick Nézet-Séguin made his debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker in October 2010. For his return to the podium of the Philharmonie, he put together a programme that traces the ups and downs of love in powerful orchestral colours.

The concert opens, however, with a solo piece. Walter Seyfarth, clarinettist with the Berliner Philharmoniker, plays Luciano Berio’s Sequenza IXa – the conclusion of the Sequenza series which has been performed throughout the 2011/12 season by members of the orchestra. The evening continues with the greatest love story in world literature: Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, here in the setting by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The composer, who was in fact an adherent of the symphony, experiments with the new genre of tone poem in this work. In doing so, he does not follow the narrative but portrays central characters and situations: a highly emotional distillation of the drama.

Based on an ancient Greek romance, Ravel’s ballet Daphnis et Chloé is also about a couple who have to defend their love against existential adversity – including two kidnappings – but at least there is a happy ending. In his score, Ravel wanted to create “an elaborate musical fresco.” What is particularly impressive is the way he organically combines archaic rhythms with his delicate tonal language. Here, the work is normally heard in the form of two orchestral suites. However, for this performance, the Berliner Philharmoniker and Yannick Nézet-Séguin perform the complete ballet music, which contains many additional musical gems.

Berliner Philharmoniker
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Walter Seyfarth
Rundfunkchor Berlin

© 2012 Berlin Phil Media GmbH

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Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor
Walter Seyfarth clarinet
Luciano Berio composer
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composer
Maurice Ravel composer
Rundfunkchor Berlin

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