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US Premiere of Peter Eötvös's The Gliding of the Eagle in the Skies with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra

Jan. 31, 2014

US Premiere of Peter Eötvös's <em>The Gliding of the Eagle in the Skies</em> with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra

The Huntsville Symphony Orchestra brought Peter Eötvös’s The Gliding of the Eagle in the Skies to Alabama for its US premiere on February 1. The performance, part of a program aptly titled “Soaring Melodies,” was led by conductor Gregory Vajda and took place at the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall in Huntsville, Alabama.

The Gliding of the Eagle in the Skies was commissioned by the Basque National Orchestra, which gave its world premiere on October 15, 2012 in Pamplona. Unfamiliar with the characteristics of traditional Basque music, Eötvös immersed himself in the folk songs of the region and discovered inspiration:

There’s one song in particular that stayed in my memory. When I was listening to this song a picture in my mind appeared: an eagle gliding high in the skies, floating up high without moving, with its wings wide open; the glance of the eagle; the rustling of its wings in the wind; the endless space; the feeling of complete freedom.

Eötvös's work requires a massive orchestral force with a unique array of percussion including traditional Basque instruments like the tamburo basco, grelot, and cajons. Additional opportunities to hear The Gliding of the Eagle in the Skies this season include a performance on March 1 in Torino, Italy by the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI and on May 22 in Tokyo, Japan by the NHK Symphony Orchestra.

For more information on Peter Eötvös, please visit www.schott-music.com.

Details on the Huntsville Performance can be found at www.hso.org.

Peter Eötvös
The Gliding of the Eagle in the Skies (2012)
for orchestra
3(3pic, 3.afl).3(3.ca).3(3.bcl).3(3.cbsn)-4.3.2.btbn.1-timp.3perc-hp-str(14.12.10.8.6)
12’

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