Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester

For his museum debut, the English conductor Alexander Soddy has chosen to include a crowd-pleaser from Norway and two works from his native England. He will open the concert with a rediscovery: a piece by the English composer and pianist Dorothy Howell. Her symphonic poem ‘Lamia’, which premiered to great acclaim in 1919, is still a regular feature of the BBC Proms.

Several works by the English composer Edward Elgar also form part of the standard repertoire on the continent, even though his two symphonies are rarely performed. Yet his First Symphony alone is a masterpiece of musical architecture. A leitmotif runs through the entire work, building to a grand climax at the symphony's end. The 1908 premiere was a great success, with the Daily Mail calling it ‘The Musical Event of the Year’.

Edvard Grieg came to Leipzig at the age of 15 to emulate his idol, Robert Schumann. At 25, he wrote his Piano Concerto, which is undoubtedly a homage to Schumann, from the key of A minor in the opening movement to the main theme introduced by the wind instruments and the melodic details. However, the music also evokes associations with Norwegian nature, becoming distinctly Norwegian in the final movement when the piano strikes up the rhythm of the 'Halling' dance.
(Frankfurter Museums-Gesellschaft e.V.)