French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet joins Gävle Symphony Orchestra and its chief conductor, Christian Reif, on Thursday 12 November at 19:00 in Gevaliasalen at Gävle Konserthus. The programme brings together three works, with a contemporary Swedish orchestral opening, a Classical concerto before the interval and a symphony shaped by modernist rhythm and harmony to close.
The concert begins with Karin Rehnqvist’s Att bryta isen, from her orchestral work Arktis Arktis!. Inspired by the Arctic landscape, the music uses timbre and rhythm to depict ice moving, cracking and changing.
Next comes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, first performed in 1785. Its association with Bo Widerberg’s 1967 film Elvira Madigan, which repeatedly uses the slow second movement, gave the work its familiar nickname. That movement’s quiet, songlike melody is among the composer’s most recognisable music. Across the concerto, playfulness, drama and virtuosity also emerge through the close interplay between solo instrument and ensemble.
The soloist has an extensive international career on the concert platform and in recordings, including appearances with leading orchestras around the world. He is particularly noted for interpretations of the Classical and French piano repertoire, with critical appreciation focusing on technical precision, musical clarity and individual expression. The Financial Times has characterised his playing as enabling listeners to discover music afresh and hear the composer’s original intentions more clearly.
After the interval comes Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony in C, composed between 1938 and 1940. During its composition, he suffered several personal losses and left Europe for the United States. The score combines Classical symphonic structures with his distinctive rhythms, harmonies and orchestral colours.
