Janine Jansen, B. Brovtsyn, C. Kang, S. Waarts, G. Lubbe, T. Ridout, D. Blendulf, P. Ferrández & D. Kozhukhin by Poulenc, Messiaen, Dubugnon, Enescu, Od (2024/2024), Théâtre de Valère, Sion, Switzerland

The violin takes centre stage in this concert featuring a Swiss premiere and several emblematic works from the twentieth-century repertoire! Written for Janine Jansen in 2023, the Poème élégiaque Op. 95 by Swiss composer Richard Dubugnon will be performed for the first time in Switzerland. Janine Jansen, surrounded by her colleagues, will introduce us to this heir to Ravel, Debussy and Messiaen, whose singular language captivates us with its blend of tradition and innovation. Three masterpieces from the twentieth-century chamber music repertoire will resonate with this premiere. Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for violin and piano, composed during the Second World War, reflects all the sensitivity of its performers. A perfect balance is struck between profound emotional expression and great technical virtuosity. Olivier Messiaen’s Variations for violin and piano are also immensely expressive. Messiaen’s innovative use of sound colours and textures takes us into a bewitching and mystical atmosphere. Finally, the immense String Octet Op. 7, composed in 1900 by a 19-year-old Enescu, is a veritable architectural feat. Like an arch, four sections join to form a single large movement in sonata form. This is a work of great expressive intensity and innovative sonorities. Modernism, expressiveness and virtuosity are on the programme for this concert exploring the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.