BSO: The Power of Love

Schubert’s gift for melody is also abundantly evident in his ‘Unfinished’ Symphony. The variety and immediacy of the themes suffusing its two movements are breathtaking; it is powerful, satisfying music. No one really knows why he never completed it – perhaps it was left unfinished because it could not, need not be finished. Alexander Zemlinsky’s Lyric Symphony owes a clear debt to his contemporary Mahler and his Das Lied von der Erde. Looking eastward, setting poems by Bengali writer Rabindranath Tagore, and merging symphony with opera, baritone and soprano alternate with one another over the course of the seven movements in what amounts to an exploration of longing and desire. The orchestral writing is delicate and refined which bathes the singers in a luminous beauty of shades and colours.

English translation surtitles/subtitles will allow you to enjoy the full beauty of the extraordinary poetry.

Please note this concert is being livestreamed and some shots will include wide angle views of the audience. You can buy Digital Concert Tickets at bsolive.com

Works:

Schubert                              Symphony No.8 ‘Unfinished’
Zemlinsky                           Lyric Symphony

Mark Wigglesworth
Conductor
Claudia Boyle
Soprano
Roderick Williams
Baritone