XU ZHONG CONDUCTS RAVEL:
SUZHOU SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT
2025.12.06（SAT）19 : 30
Jinji Lake Concert Hall SCAC
Conductor XU Zhong
Piano WAN Jieni
Baritone ZHANG Yang
Violin Ellinor D’ Melon
RAVEL
Une Barque sur L'océan from Miroirs, M. 43/3
Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83
Don Quichotte à Dulcinée, M. 84
Tzigane, M. 76
Valses Nobles et Sentimentales, M. 61
NOTICE TO AUDIENCE
1. DURATION Approximately 79 minutes with a 15-min intermission.
2. SUGGESTED AGE 8 and above.
3. Minimum height for children :1.3m.
Tonight, we will listen to representative pieces from Maurice Ravel’s varied genres and creative periods, allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in his colorful and beautifully built musical world. Ravel’s compositions, which strike a special balance between Impressionist atmosphere and Classical precision, are praised for their flawless form, sparkling orchestration, and rich creative harmonic palette. The voyage begins with Une Barque sur L’océan from Miroirs. The subtle blending of strings and woodwinds, accompanied by shimmering accents from the harp and celesta, brilliantly captures the rolling motion and dazzling reflections of ocean waves. Then we have the challenging Piano Concerto in G Major. This composition was written in the early 1930s, it is the peak of Ravel’s developed style. It skillfully blends contemporary jazz elements, Basque folk melodies, and virtuosic toccata passages with the classical concerto’s framework. Ravel’s famous transparent orchestration, which ensures that each voice is heard clearly, creates a lively dialogue between the piano and orchestra. Ravel’s deep love with exoticism and Spain is shown in the second half. Don Quichotte à Dulcinée envelops Don Quixote’s passionate confession to his fictional sweetheart in Iberian colors. The Habanera and other Spanish dancing characteristics are incorporated into its restrained depth. Tzigane, Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra, an explosion of Gypsy emotion, then lights up the stage. This piece embraces the structure and passion of the csárdás dance while paying respect to the virtuoso tradition of predecessors such as Sarasate. Before plunging into breathtakingly fast sections, it starts with fragmented, rhapsodic improvisation. Violin is blending with the rich, vibrant textures of the orchestra, expressing wild energy and spontaneity characteristic of the Gypsies. Following this is Valses Nobles et Sentimentales. This piece features Ravel’s contemporary “deconstruction” and reinvention rather than a simple imitation of Schubertian Viennese waltzes. He boldly uses extended harmonies (such as 9th and 11th chords) and delicate chromaticism within a sophisticated waltz framework, producing a distinctive flavor that is both familiar and unfamiliar, graceful yet mixed with detachment and a sharp “bitterness”, effectively capturing the coexistence of “nobility” and “sentimentality” that the title promises.
