Symphonic Concert

Jess Gillam & Giancarlo Guerrero

  • Sun 11.06.
30.08.
Cover des Programmheftes
Programme brochure

for the concert (mostly in German)

Download PDF

Programme

Karl Jenkins
Saxophone Concerto (World premiere, Co-commisioned by DSO)

Dmitri Shostakovich
Symphony No. 7 in C major, ›Leningrad‹

Artists

Giancarlo Guerrero Conductor

  • Jess Gillam Saxophone

Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin

About the concert

The situation of a city under siege during the war, which has again acquired a sad topicality today, provided the background for the composition of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony. When the troops of Nazi Germany and its allies surrounded Saint Petersburg (then Leningrad) from 1941 onwards, the city’s probably most famous composer was among its residents. The blockade, which claimed the lives of more than a million civilians, lasted from September 1941 to January 1944. Shostakovich unsuccessfully offered several times to fight as a soldier and finally took part in extinguishing the numerous fires that broke out. While the bombs were falling, he was also working feverishly on his new symphony, for which he partly drew on older material. The work is traditionally in four movements, however, instead of the expected development of the theme in the first movement, a passage accompanied by the drum appears as what is known as an “invasion episode” and through several repetitions builds to a frightening effect. “This [...] is how war sounds to my ears,” the composer explained. Sounds of a deceptive or lost idyll, chorales and funeral music based on the Baroque model precede the monumental final turn. The symphony was interpreted not only in the Soviet Union as a gesture of resistance against international Fascism.

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Several times, saxophonist Jess Gillam's debut with the DSO had to be cancelled or postponed because of the pandemic. Now she is finally a guest with the world premiere of the saxophone concerto 'Stravaganza' by Karl Jenkins, for whom the DSO is a commissioning body. The conductor is Giancarlo Guerrero, who currently holds positions in the USA, Poland and Portugal. With his stylistically diverse music spanning all genres, Sir Karl Jenkins is one of the most performed composers in the world. Hits such as 'Adiemus', 'Palladio' or the peace mass 'The Armed Man' delight a wide audience. And music by him will also be heard at the coronation of Charles III. Karl Jenkins wrote his saxophone concerto expressly for the celebrated shooting star from England. Jess Gillam is considered one of the most compelling ambassadors of the Classical music scene and one of the most distinguished representatives of her instrument thanks to her closeness to the audience and rousing interpretations.

»Stravaganza« is the Italian word for eccentric. Karl Jenkins's inspiration for the concerto is the fact that Jess Gillam initially learned the saxophone in a carnival, having first tried the stilts and then the drums before finding her musical home. The work is in four movements, and a certain eccentricity or quirkiness pervades throughout. In many ways it is programmatic but the listener may create her or his eccentric fantasies. To Jenkins's delight, Jess Gillam chose the soprano saxophone (the highest in pitch of those in common use) for this particular ‘parade’.

Kompositionsauftrag mit freundlicher Unterstützung durch

Cover des Programmheftes
Programme brochure

for the concert (mostly in German)

Download PDF

Artists

Giancarlo Guerrero
© Tony Matula

Giancarlo Guerrero

Conductor

Jess Gillam
© Robin Clewley

Jess Gillam

Saxophone

Biography
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
© Peter Adamik

Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin

Orchestra

Biography

For more than 70 years the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO Berlin) has distinguished itself as one of Germany's leading orchestras. The number of renowned music directors, the scope and variety of its work, and its particular emphasis on modern and contemporary music, makes the ensemble unique. Founded as the RIAS Symphony Orchestra in 1946, it was renamed the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin in 1956 and has borne its current name since 1993.

At the beginning of the 2017-18 season Robin Ticciati took on the position as music director, carrying on a great tradition. As the first music director, Ferenc Fricsay defined the standards in terms of repertoire, acoustic ideal and media presence. In 1964, the young Lorin Maazel assumed artistic responsibility. In 1982, he was followed by Riccardo Chailly and in 1989 by Vladimir Askenazy. Kent Nagano was appointed music director in 2000. Since his departure in 2006, he has been associated with the orchestra as an honorary conductor.

From 2007 to 2010, as the successor to Nagano, Ingo Metzmacher set decisive accents in the concert life of the capital with progressive programmes and consistent commitment to the music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Since September 2012, the North Ossetian Tugan Sokhiev has been music director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.

Apart from its concerts in Berlin, the DSO is also present in many guest appearances in international music life. The orchestra has held performances in the major concert halls of Europe, North and South America, the Near, Middle and Far East. The DSO is also in demand worldwide with many award-winning CD recordings. In 2011, it was awarded a Grammy Award for the best opera recording for the production of Kaija Saariaho's ›L'amour de loin‹ conducted by Kent Nagano. In September 2017 the first CD of the DSO and Robin Ticciati has been released on the Linn Records label.

The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin is an ensemble of the Radio Orchestra and Choirs GmbH (roc berlin). The shareholders are Deutschlandradio, the Federal Republic of Germany, the State of Berlin and Radio Berlin-Brandenburg.

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