Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra paints a perfect picture with music

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is joined by guest conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto for its next concert, Picture Perfect.
Gabriela Montero. Picture by Shelly MosmanGabriela Montero. Picture by Shelly Mosman
Gabriela Montero. Picture by Shelly Mosman

The programme includes works by Ravel, Debussy and Mossorgsky and promises to be an evening to remember. And making her BSO debut will be Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero, who will be performing Ravel's Piano Concerto.

The New York Times said of Gabriela: 'Montero's playing is everything: crackling rhythmic brio, subtle shadings, steely power in climatic moments, soulful lyricism in the ruminative passages and, best of all, unsentimental expressivity.' 

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Gabriela made her BBC Proms debut in 2016 with the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Marin Alsop, with a memorable performance of Grieg's Piano Concerto.

In addition to her brilliant interpretations of the piano repertoire, Gabriela is also renowned for her ability to improvise, as she composes and plays new works in real time, regularly inviting her audiences to choose themes and ideas on which she improvises.

When asked about her debut with the BSO, Gabriela says: 'I'm looking forward to meeting the BSO and bringing Ravel to life with rhythmical electricity and humour.'

Ravel's admirer's had long been waiting for him to compose a piano concerto. When he finally took up the form, in his mid-fifties, he worked on two at once and they were among the last compositions he ever completed. Ravel's Piano Concerto in G sparkles with energy and a sense of spontaneity, but it is far from casual in its sourcing and craftsmanship. This work sparkles with spontaneity and energy, it draws upon Basque and Spanish melodies, jazz rifts, the influence of Mozart and Saint-Saëns, and even his childhood fascination with mechanical toys.

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Pictures at an Exhibition was Mussorgsky's musical homage to a talented friend, inspired by a visit to a posthumous exhibition. One of Mussorgsky's great gifts was the ability to capture the essence of a character, mood, or scene in brief, striking musical imagery. His imagination goes far beyond the immediate visual stimulus of the paintings, which are brought into even more vivid detail. This piece is an orchestral favourite, taking us on a walk through a variety of moods and characters in brief, striking episodes.

Portsmouth Guildhall

Thursday, March 8

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