Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Hannu Lintu, will present the South Korean premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s Ciel d’hiver on 5-6 September 2024.
Ciel d’hiver is an arrangement of the second movement of her orchestral piece Orion, and was commissioned by Musique Nouvelle en Liberté. The world premiere took place on 7 April 2014 at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, given by Orchestre Lamoureux, conducted by Fayçal Karoui.
Saariaho's orchestral triptych Orion (2002) is one of her most often performed orchestral works. Orion as a celestial phenomenon is showcased in the middle movement, Winter Sky. In 2013, Saariaho re-scored this movement for a smaller orchestra, and to distinguish it from the original she gave it a title in French, Ciel d'hiver. It joins the series of works by Saariaho that are in one way or another inspired by things in sky and space.
Ciel d’hiver opens with a haunting piccolo solo, continued by solo violin, clarinet, oboe, and muted trumpet. As the orchestral soloists pass the melody around, the other instruments provide a colourful and atmospheric accompaniment. The orchestral texture later fills out with multi-layered polyphony, yet the movement remains calm and contemplative. For the ending, the already slow tempo becomes even slower as the piano emerges from the background with a ‘sky-high’ melody repeating a few notes in changing permutations, over expressive string glissandi and the sound of chimes, bowed vibraphone, and crotales.
Her mesmeric exploration of colour is displayed vividly in the score.
Rounding out the program is Johannes Brahms’ Violin Concerto.
5-6 September 2024
Seoul Arts Centre Concert Hall
2406 Nambusunhwan-ro, Seocho District
Seoul, South Korea
