大象传媒

Some of Anders Hillborg鈥檚 earliest lessons in music were learnt singing in choirs. In a concert recorded at St Giles鈥� Cripplegate in February, the 大象传媒 Singers present the first performance of a new choral work by the Swedish composer alongside some of his established favourites, including the simple song lined with mourning O Dessa 脰gon and the spine-tingling surround-sound of the 16-part Mouyayoum. Complementing Hillborg鈥檚 works, Ragnar Rasmussen and the Singers bring us the radiant and heartbreaking love songs by Hillborg鈥檚 compatriot Sven-David Sandstr枚m and Olivier Messiaen鈥檚 cut-glass miniature O Sacrum Convivium.
Followed by a performance recorded at the Barbican in January this year by legendary American pianist Garrick Ohlsson of Rachmaninov鈥檚 Third Piano Concerto with its towering technical demands for the soloist. The composer took the part for the 1909 world premiere in New York, preparing for it by practising on a dummy keyboard aboard ship on the Atlantic en route to the US. Early the following year he gave a performance with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Gustav Mahler.
The afternoon closes with a rare opportunity to hear Bliss' Mary of Magdala in a recent recording with Dame Sarah Connolly as Mary Magdala, James Platt as Jesus and the 大象传媒 Symphony Chorus and 大象传媒 SO under Conductor Laureate Sir Andrew Davis. Bliss was drawn to the story describing it as 鈥榦ne of the loveliest stories in the New Testament' where at the sepulchre, Mary Magdala was the first to see the risen Christ supposing him to be the gardener.
Presented by Georgia Mann.

2pm
Anders Hillborg: The Cradle Song, O Dessa 枚gon, The Breathing of the World (UK premiere)
Sven-David Sandstr枚m: Four Songs of Love
Anders Hillborg: Stella Maris, Lilla Sus Grav
Esa-Pekka Salonen: Songs from Kalender R枚d
Olivier Messiaen: O sacrum convivium
Anders Hillborg: Mouyayoum
大象传媒 Singers
Theo Hillborg, saxophone
Filip Graden, cello
Ragnar Rasmussen, conductor

c.3.20pm
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
大象传媒 Symphony Orchestra
Robert Spano, conductor

c.4.10pm
Arthur Bliss: Mary of Magdala
Dame Sarah Connolly, mezzo-soprano
James Platt, bass
大象传媒 Symphony Chorus
大象传媒 Symphony Orchestra
Sir Andrew Davis, conductor