Oslo Philharmonic Chamber Series Sebastian Fagerlund
Jean Françaix

Sebastian Fagerlund: Autumn Equinox

Sebastian Fagerlund (b. 1972) spent more than two and a half years on the opera Autumn Sonata. It was during this work that the octet Autumn Equinox emerged, almost like a shadow of the orchestral work. Some of the moods, timbres, and musical material from the opera reappear in the octet, but as a reflection seen from a distance. The octet consists of three movements: The opening of the first movement presents the basic musical material. The movement is energetic and rhythmically driven, with motifs that overlap and collide. The second movement opens up a sonic universe in which the material from the first movement is slowed down and expanded. In the third movement, we return to the rhythmic energy of the first.

Jean Françaix: À huit

Jean Françaix (1912–1997) wrote À huit – "for eight" – on commission from the violinist and conductor Willi Boskovsky, founder of the Vienna Octet. Boskovsky needed a work for a programme that already included Schubert's octet, and Françaix dedicated his octet "to the memory of Franz Schubert." The work is structured in four movements: The open, energetic first movement gives space to all eight instruments, before the second movement draws out the individual instruments and sets them in dialogue with one another. The slow third movement showcases Françaix's gift for writing simple yet memorable melodies. The finale begins with a touch of mock solemnity, before the music transitions into an elegant waltz.