Matthias Pintscher
Javier Perianes Camille Saint-Saëns
Claude Debussy

German Matthias Pintscher conducts Camille Saint-Saëns “Egyptian” piano concerto, Claude Debussy’s tribute to Spain and England, and his own orchestral piece neharot, which he wrote at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Matthias Pintscher (b. 1971) had his international breakthrough as a composer in his 20s with symphonies, opera and ballet. He has since established himself as a conductor at the highest level. Pintscher wrote the orchestral work neharot in 2020 and has himself described the work as follows:

“Neharot means rivers in Hebrew, but also tears. It also describes lamentation. This music was written during the worst period of the many daily deaths in the spring of 2020...and is a clear echo of the desolation and fear, but also the hope for light that so emotionally characterized this time in our lives.”

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) was born in Paris and lived there his whole life. But he loved to travel, and preferred to spend the winter in warmer climates. Egypt was one of his favorite travel destinations, and in the winter of 1896, he wrote his Piano Concerto No. 5, which was nicknamed “The Egyptian”, in the historic city of Luxor.

The music in Piano Concerto No. 5 has clear exotic undertones, perhaps inspired as much by Javanese and Spanish music as by the Middle East. Saint-Saëns was a brilliant pianist, and like in his previous piano concertos, he combines brilliant piano playing with catchy melodies.

Claude Debussy (1862–1918) also came from and lived in Paris. Unlike Saint-Saëns, it did not travel outside of Europe’s borders. In the orchestral work Images pour orchestra, he conjures up musical paintings of his three favorite countries: England, Spain, and France.

In the first movement, Gigues, the enigmatic atmosphere of the opening is broken by a famous English folk tune. Ibéria describes Spain in three colorful parts: “Along the streets and along the paths”, “The scents of the night” and “The morning of a festive day”. The third movement, “Round dances of spring”, is a jubilant tribute to spring and May.