Berlin Philharmonic / Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Prokofiev / Debussy
One of the Most Sought-After Conductors of Our Time
Since his sensational debut at the 2008 Salzburg Festival, the 43-year-old Franco-Canadian Yannick Nézet-Séguin has become one of the most in-demand conductors around. To mark the centenary of Debussy’s death, he now conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in a performance of the composer’s symphonic poem »La Mer«, along with Sergei Prokofiev’s mighty Fifth Symphony in a programme of contrasts.
Claude Debussy composed the piece between 1903 and 1905, and named it »The Sea, Three Symphonic Sketches for Orchestra«. It is known as a perfect example of musical impressionism, depicting as it does the sea in various states: quiet and peaceful in the first sketch, playful and animated in the middle movement, and tempestuous and threatening in the final movement.
Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 is a very different beast altogether. It was completed in 1944, as the Second World War continued to rage, features a heroic tone and carries the subheading »Triumph of the Human Spirit«. Musically, the work takes its cue from the classical-romantic tradition, which clearly distinguishes it from the composer’s avant-garde Symphonies No. 3 and 4.
Performers
Berliner Philharmoniker
conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Programme
Claude Debussy
La mer / Three Symphonic Sketches
– Interval –
Sergej Prokofjew
Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, Op. 100
Subscription
Elbphilharmonie Subscription 2
Series
Visiting Orchestras