EXILES #3

Exile is the music that finds no homeland, or invents a new one. The third installment of this committed series, the concert under the inspired direction of George Jackson brings together the Choir and the Orchestre national Montpellier Occitanie around pages that are alternately heartbreaking and luminous. We encounter shattered destinies: Andrzej Panufnik dedicates his Katyń Epitaph to the victims of the 1940 massacre; Arnold Schoenberg writes Friede auf Erden as an impossible pacifist wish. Flutist Ana de la Vega brings to life Elżbieta Sikora's Flute Concerto – a co-commissioned creation, where the virtuoso dialogues with an orchestra of contemporary colors. Julius Eastman celebrates Joan of Arc in a minimalist trance, while Franz Schreker, persecuted by the Nazi regime, lets his Schwanengesang, an elegiac swan song, be heard. Isang Yun, a Korean abducted in 1967 by the secret services of the South Korean dictatorship, unfolds his Tapis for strings; Malek Jandali, a Syrian in exile, proclaims Freedom; Kareem Roustom, of Palestinian origin, makes the traditional Dabke dance. An evening that is serious, feverish, and necessary. Program Andrzej Panufnik (1914–1991) Katyń Epitaph Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951) Friede auf Erden opus 13 Elżbieta Sikora (*1943) Flute Concerto French premiere Co-commissioned by Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Opéra Orchestre national Montpellier Occitanie, National Philharmonic Society of Lithuania, National Centre of Culture of Poland Julius Eastman (1940–1990) The Holy Presence of Joan D’Arc Isang Yun (1917–1995) Tapis for strings Malek Jandali (*1972) Freedom Franz Schreker (1878–1934) Schwanengesang opus 11 Kareem Roustom (*1971) Dabke Duration: ±1h20 without intermission