17. Main Evening Concert

Children's stories

Fazil Say is a brilliant Turkish pianist-composer, whose second violin sonata takes as its theme the abuse of nature, the need to resist despoliation and the power of hope. Say was not afraid to speak out about the environmental degradation at Mount Ida in Turkey where a mining company was destroying forests of outstanding ecological importance and beauty, and the outcry was so overwhelming that the miners have withdrawn for now. The movement titles say it all - ‘Decimation of Nature’, ‘Wounded Bird’ and ‘Rite of Hope’.

Enescu wrote his highly virtuosic ‘Impressions of Childhood’ in 1940 during the grim war years. As a demonstration of the violinist's art it is hard to beat this evocative and exhilarating work, from the pen of the greatest violinist-composer of the last century. There are ten short movements with titles reminiscent of Schumann, concluding with a spectacular ‘Sunrise’.

David Lang’s little match girl passion tells Hans Andersen’s famous story in all its beauty and brutality. Just four singers and a motley collection of percussion instruments, played by the singers, tell the sad story and, between chapters, comment for us on what is happening to the little match girl. It is inexpressibly moving - expect not a dry eye in the house!