Orchestre Victor Hugo

Conceived by Jean-François Verdier at the helm of the Orchestre Victor Hugo, this extraordinary program promises to be a revelation. With the sublime voice of Anna Wall, these treasures of Viennese song precede one of the most spectacular symphonic scores of the 20th century.

Unique in its kind, Gustav Holst’s The Planets draws inspiration from astrology to paint musical portraits of the planets in our solar system. With masterful orchestration and a palette of colours evoking a fantastical universe, this masterpiece has influenced numerous film composers, including John Williams for the Star Wars soundtrack. In the first half of the concert, the mezzo-soprano’s voice illuminates the lieder composed by Alma Mahler between 1910 and 1915. Gustav Mahler, her first husband, had insisted she stop composing, perhaps out of fear that her creativity might overshadow his. At times dark, at times incandescent, this enchanting music reveals a rare talent that has long been unjustly overlooked.

The presence of Quatuor Ellipsos extends this cosmic journey with A Dream for Artemis by Fabien Waksman. Conceived as a tribute to space exploration from 1957 to the present day, this concerto for saxophone quartet and orchestra opens up, following in the wake of The Planets, a new sonic horizon between celestial dream and contemporary adventure. From the dance of the planets to the rays of the Moon, Earth’s natural satellite, the evening is illuminated under the sign of Artemis, the mythological figure of the nocturnal star.

 + Pre-concert: from 7:10 PM to 7:30 PM in the foyer bar with the Quatuor Ellipsos (free pre-concert event for ticket holders of the concert).

Musical director Jean-François Verdier
Orchestre Victor Hugo
Quatuor Ellipsos
Mezzo-soprano Anna Wall

^{Photo © Opéra de Dijon}

Alma Mahler
4 Lieder
« Die stille Stadt»
(Richard Dehmel)
« Bei dir ist es traut»
(Rainer Maria Rilke)
« Licht in der Nacht»
(Otto Julius Bierbaum)
« Waldseligkeit»
(Richard Dehmel)

Gustav Holst
Les Planètes

Fabien Waksman
A Dream for Artemis