Cristian Măcelaru conducts Schoenberg and Debussy by Clyne, Debussy, Fra (2022/2022), Dirigent Cristian Măcelaru, Konzerthalle, Bamberg, Germany

This exciting concert will take you on a journey of the imagination where your mind’s eye becomes the silver screen! Contrary to what is often assumed, Schoenberg's »Accompaniment to a Cinematographic Scene« of 1929/30 is based not on a concrete film, but on an imaginary one centring on the dramatic key words »imminent danger, fear, catastrophe«. It is a sometimes mysterious, sometimes highly expressive programme music offering lots of scope for the audience to make their own associations. Debussy's »Images«, completed in 1912, likewise present a sublime sequence of musical images, translating »the impressions of the eye for the ear«. The first orchestral painting transports listeners to the melancholy of England’s autumnal landscapes, while the rapturous middle movement »Ibéria« evokes the sensual atmosphere of Spain. The last image conveys the awakening of spring in France and includes a popular children's song written by the legendary Madame Pompadour. London-born Anna Clyne’s cello concerto »Dance«, which is virtually dripping with melodies and peppered with scenic elements, conjures up images of the famous trance-like dances of the dervishes by which it was inspired. It was premiered in 2019 in Santa Cruz with our two guests – the cellist Inbal Segev and conductor Cristian Măcelaru. Last but not least, we will hear the world premiere of a work by the Greek composer Konstantia Gourzi, who was a fellow of the Internationales Künstlerhaus Villa Concordia in Bamberg in 2017/18 – and whose artistic vision is to create connections between different cultures and musical traditions. »Variation 21« is a sophisticated and rhythmically energetic piece featuring lots of percussion and two themes that become ever more closely entwined.