ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien / Blechacz / Avni

A musical rediscovery takes centre stage on this concert evening: Charlotte Sohy’s Symphony in C sharp minor »Grande Guerre«. Composed between 1914 and 1917, this haunting work is shaped by the composer’s experiences during the First World War. It was not until 2019 that the symphony received its world premiere in Besançon –, some 60 years after the composer’s death. Now »Grande Guerre« is to be performed for the first time at the Vienna Konzerthaus: the RSO Vienna will perform under the baton of Bar Avni.

Maurice Ravel and »La valse«
Sohy, who grew up in Paris during the Belle Époque and studied with eminent teachers at the Schola Cantorum, was closely connected to the French musical life of her time. Her circle included, amongst others, Gabriel Fauré, Nadia Boulanger and Maurice Ravel. Ravel’s »La valse«, which follows Sohy’s symphony on the programme, also addresses the shadow of war. It is a sombre musical vision of upheaval in Europe. The work leads from the bliss of the Viennese waltz into an increasingly turbulent soundscape

Chopin with Rafał Blechacz
Romantic music by Frédéric Chopin, on the other hand, forms the basis of the first part of the concert: the programme features two dances from »Les Sylphides« as well as the Piano Concerto No. 2. The soloist is the Polish pianist Rafał Blechacz, arguably one of the world’s finest interpreters of Chopin.