2 Sinfoniekonzert by Debussy, Ravel, fös 28 okt 2022, Frá (2022/2022), Hljómsveitarstjóri Hermann Bäumer, Großes Haus, Mainz, Germany

In October, the cooperation between the Philharmonic State Orchestra and the LandesJugendOrchester Rheinland-Pfalz, which has already been highly successful on several occasions, will be continued - now also certified as an official TUTTI PRO orchestra sponsorship (see page 149). The result of the mutual inspiration can be heard in the 2nd symphony concert, this time vocally expanded by the LandesJugendChor Rheinland-Pfalz and soloists of the opera ensemble. With a large cast, the three orchestras, conducted by Hermann Bäumer, are dedicated to the two most important composers of Impressionism: the secular cantata La Damoiselle élue (The Chosen One) by Claude Debussytells the tragic story of a deceased female figure who longs for her lover who has remained on earth and hopes for reunion in the afterlife when she looks over the parapet of heaven. Although the lyrical poem for soprano (Damoiselle), mezzo-soprano (narrator), four-part female choir and orchestra was written when the young composer was still under the spell of Richard Wagner, in some places one can already feel the coming Debussy with his typical impressionistic tonal language. The composition is based on the French translation of a poem by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, with the setting focusing on the mystical female figure. As a literary basis for Maurice RavelBallet music Daphnis et Chloé for choir and large orchestra was based on the story of the shepherd Daphnis and the nymph Chloé by the late Greek poet Longos. The ancient novel can confidently be described as the mother of all romance novels, because it anticipates what many generations have worked out and told again and again: two young lovers, separated by dangers and adversaries, are happily reunited in the end. In this composition, the unusually used choir plays a special role: as if Ravel wanted to emphasize his maxim of creating music without reference to the outside world, he lets the choir sing without words – i.e. only with so-called vocalises. In this way, the human voice joins the orchestral instruments.La Mer - as the most important work of impressionism.