Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra

Fate of women

The fates of three different women form the underlying theme of this concert: a mythological princess, a criminal, and a heroine who fights for freedom wearing trousers. Beethoven’s adventurous exploration of the Leonore/Fidelio story produced a number of works, among them the Leonore Overture No. 2, which represents a transformation of his symphonic thinking in a prelude that refers to the background of the drama. Mozart’s brilliant concert aria »Ah, lo previdi« (Ah, I foresaw that) – is a revenge aria sung by Andromeda, who bewails the supposed death of Perseus. Markus Poschner conducts the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, bringing the concert season to a close with Marc-Anthony Turnage’s »Twice Through the Heart«: the dramatic scene for mezzo-soprano and a small orchestra tells the true and tragic tale of a woman who murdered her husband. Turnage creates an impressive soundscape here, setting a text by Jackie Kay with most interesting instrumentation.