DREAMWALKING

Introduction 50 minutes before the start of the concert in the concert hall

It’s easy to imagine every new piece of music as an invitation to a faraway world, still unfamiliar. That of Tout un monde lointain captivates us from the first mysterious hissing to the last notes, softly fading away.

As companions to a cello, we delve into Henri Dutilleux’ fantastical sonic landscapes: some of them mysteriously shimmering, seductively perfumed, others overwhelmingly colourful. The musical poet Dutilleux offers a few words by Charles Baudelaire to guide us on our journey: »Keep your dreams: wise men do not have as beautiful ones as fools!« Who knew?

Ah yes, the thing about the great role models! There’s a fine line between motivated emulation and devastating self-destruction. Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 resembles an opulent novel in four colourful volumes. After the successful world premiere, his revered idol Beethoven would surely have patted his shoulders enthusiastically – had not both musical superheroes already been dead. One single horn melody gives birth to an entire musical world with all its ups and downs, and the back-and-forth so typical of Schubert, careening between cheerful boisterousness and melancholy despair.