Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra: Spalding & Chase
Free (Free)
Felipe Lara — Double Concerto for flutes double bass and voice
Claire Chase, flutes
Esperanza Spalding, voice & double bass
Antonín Dvořák – Slavonic Dances, Op. 46
Felipe Lara – Double Concerto for flutes, double bass, and voice (world premiere)
The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Susanna Mälkki and two musicians from the East Coast of the USA who are not afraid to go over, under, through and right past musical barriers perform a brand-new piece by one of the hottest contemporary composers in the world today. Superstars Esperanza Spalding and Claire Chase offer an evening overflowing with stage charisma and street credibility. The new composition by Felipe Lara has been commissioned jointly by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic and is being premiered in Helsinki.
Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) originally wrote his eight Slavonic Dances, Op. 46 for two pianos, four hands in 1878. The idea came from the publisher Fritz Simrock, who had noted the popularity of the Hungarian Dances by Brahms and decided to strike while the iron was hot. He was not disappointed; Europe was caught up in a wave of nationalism and with it nationalist music, and there was a great demand for music for amateur pianists to play. In order to boost sales even further, Simrock quickly commissioned versions of Dvořák’s Dances for large orchestra. These were an immediate hit and so Simrock asked Dvořák to write a further eight. Despite their name, they are Slavonic only in mood and temperament, and listeners will search in vain for genuine folk melodies. They do, however, feature rhythms associated with specific regions: seven of them Dvořák’s native Bohemia and one, “Dumka” (No. 2), probably Serbia.
The ultimate goal of his Double Concerto is, says Felipe Lara, to (re)interpret the orchestral double concerto genre in the form of a performer-specific work exploring aspects of oral, improvisational, written, and electroacoustic musical traditions. This approach highlights the role of the soloists as unique interpreters from different stylistic backgrounds (song, jazz/experimental, symphonic). Another unique feature is the use of the voice in the typically instrumental concerto setting. Lara uses texts in Portuguese, vocalises, as well as noisy vocal utterances – phonemes, consonants, and modulations caused by vocal/instrumental simultaneities.
Born in São Paulo in 1979, Felipe Lara composed his Double Concerto as a joint commission from the HPO and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The two soloists, Claire Chase and Esperanza Spalding, both contributed to the composition process, experimenting with and exploring unconventional performance methods, choosing and processing recordings in a highly collaborative, intimate and distinctive creative effort.
The livestream will take place at 6pm Eastern European / 9am Pacific.