Ung Filharmoni Prokofiev Bartók

Conductor Ben Gernon has unfortunately fallen ill, but the fantastic Ilan Volkov will replace him for this concert.

The British composer Anna Clyne (born 1980) first came to prominence in 2010 as composer-in-residence for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, since when she has written a number of orchestral works and been nominated for a Grammy. Clyne’s 2015 work This Midnight Hour was inspired by the lowest sounds made by the symphony orchestra.

Sergei Prokofiev left his homeland of Russia in 1917, following which he lived in the USA, Germany and France – except when he was on tour. His Violin Concerto No. 2 of 1935 was his last work before he returned home, while he was still travelling: Prokofiev wrote the main theme of the 1st movement in Paris and the first theme of the 2nd movement in Voronezh (Russia); the orchestration was finished in Baku and the premiere was given in Madrid – with castanets in the last movement!

Béla Bartók moved to the USA in 1940, and for the first few years there he led a somewhat anonymous existence. When, in 1943, he received a commission for a major orchestral work from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, he was seriously ill. However, the assignment gave him fresh energy, and he wrote the Concerto for Orchestra in a mere two months in the late summer of 1943. The premiere in 1944 received highly positive reviews, and Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra remains his most popular work and a milestone in musical history.

Ung Filharmoni (The Young Philharmonic) is a unique programme for young classical musicians who dream of becoming professional orchestral musicians. Thanks to a partnership with the Oslo Philharmonic, up to 80 young, promising talents are given the opportunity to reach up to a professional level.

Ung Filharmoni is a collaborative project between Barratt Due musikkinstitutt, Senter for talenutvikling (the Center for Talent Development), and the Oslo Philharmonic, supported by Sparebankstiftelsen DNB and Talent Norge.