VU-Orkest

Stories
On 30 June, the VU Orchestra will take you through innovative stories, from American satire through Slavic tragedy to Viennese grandeur.
Conducted by Arjan Tien, the orchestra opens with Bernstein and the vibrant ‘Candide Overture’: originally a 1758 book by Voltaire. This satirical tale follows Candide getting caught up in the strangest of situations. In 1953, it was picked up by Lillian Hellman, who asked Bernstein to translate this book into a musical. From this, the orchestra plays the overture. Next, the VU Orchestra takes you into a slightly less light-hearted story: ‘The Wood Pigeon’ by Dvorak. When a woman cheats and subsequently murders her husband, she is haunted by guilt and grief. Continually, she is plagued by the wood pigeon's call from the weeping willow near her husband's grave. This story is based on fairytale poems translated into Czech folk music.

Renewal
After the interval, the concert continues with Brahms' “Piano Quartet in g minor” in Schoenberg's innovative orchestration. This orchestration was premiered in 1937 and was later reshaped by the New York City Ballet, which made a ballet performance of it in 1966. Originally, the piano quartet was created around 1858 by Brahms with Clara Schumann in mind. Her name can be heard creatively in both versions of the piece, spelt out in the notes of the violas in part 2: a nice quote. In the piece, you will hear how the romantic sounds of Brahms transition into Schoenberg's grand arrangement: a rare opportunity to hear this symphonic translation live and thus a beautiful end to an evening full of contrasting and surprising stories.