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World Premiere of George Benjamin's Dream of the Song with Bejun Mehta and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Sep. 02, 2015

World Premiere of George Benjamin's <em>Dream of the Song</em> with Bejun Mehta and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

On September 25, The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra delivers the world premiere of George Benjamin's Dream of the Song, for countertenor, female chorus and orchestra. Jointly commissioned by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra and Festival d’Automne, the piece was written specifically for renowned countertenor Bejun Mehta, who was recently named among the 10 greatest countertenors of all time by Sinfini Music. Nederlands Kamerkoor (Netherlands Chamber Choir) joins the orchestra at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, conducted by the composer himself.

Benjamin has been a regular guest of the Concertgebouw since his debut in 2003, whose work has been described by the Dutch periodical Trouw as “an orgy of timbres.” He has recently enjoyed critical reception not only as composer, but conductor as well, praised in The New York Times as “highly skilled” following performances this past summer at Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival.

In addition to the world premiere of Dream of the Song, Benjamin leads the choir and orchestra in György Ligeti’s riveting early-1970’s work Clocks and Clouds, a distillation of his harmonic and rhythmic “cluster” techniques, and Julian Anderson’s 2005 orchestral work Eden, an homage to the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi. The program also includes a performance of Leos Janácek’s classic Sinfonietta.

Following the September 25 and 26 performances at the Royal Concertgebouw, Dream of the Song receives its U.K. premiere at the Barbican in London with Oliver Knussen leading the BBC Symphony Orchestra on March 18, 2016.

For more information on George Benjamin, visit fabermusic.com.

Tickets and concert information can be found at concertgebouworkest.nl.

George Benjamin
Dream of the Song (2015)
text (Eng, Sp) by Ibn Gabirol, Samuel HaNagrid, and Federico Garcia Lorca with translations by Peter Cole
for countertenor, female chorus and orchestra
2ob-4hn-2perc-2hp-str(12.12.10.8.6)
14' 

György Ligeti
Clocks and Clouds (1972-1973)
for 12-part female choir and orchestra
5(1.afl, 3.5.pic).3.5(5.bcl).4(4.cbsn)-0.2.0.0-1perc-2hp.cel-str
13’

Julian Anderson
Eden (2005)
for orchestra
3(3.pic).3(3.ca).3.3-4.3.3.1-3perc-hp-elec kybd-str
7’

Leos Janácek
Sinfonietta (1926)
for orchestra
4.2.4.2-4.12.4.2btbn.1.2ttba-timp.2perc-hp-str
25’

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