Repertoire

Kurt Weill: Concerto for Violin and Wind Orchestra, Op. 12 (1924) 30’
Ottorino Respighi: Huntingtower, P. 173. Ballad for Band (1932) 8’
Ottorino Respighi: Pines of Rome (1924) 26’

ARTISTS

Barcelona Symphonic Band (BMB)
José R. Pascual-Vilaplana, conductor
Vlad Stanculeasa, violin

Programme

More than 60% of the BMB workforce comes from the Valencian Community, where the tradition of Symphonic Bands is strongly rooted, and many of them have suffered closely from the effects of the disaster. In the words of Pascual-Vilaplana: “We have friends, relatives and acquaintances who have seen how, suddenly, their life reality has undergone a radical change that has soaked their souls with sadness and despair. From L’Auditori we didn’t want to forget the thousands of people who now need everyone’s support to build a dignified life again”. And he adds: “We want to be with those who are suffering, perhaps, the worst days of their lives, to tell them that they are not alone. Music is about this: uniting different tools and different emotions in a common goal that is born to be shared. Join us this day to build a moment of warmth that embraces the people who need us”.

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This year, 2024, two important works by Kurt Weill and Ottorino Respighi will be a hundred years old. They have been paired here in a concert that is a marvellous demonstration of the versatility of the concert band. In Weill’s Concerto for Violin and Wind orchestra, the solo instrument interacts with the ensemble, creating a truly surprising musical discourse, while the popular Pini di Roma evokes the majestic green silhouettes that are part of the discovery and enjoyment of the ancient capital.  Although composed in the third decade of the twentieth century, the work has a classical timelessness, with occasional touches of nostalgia. These two works will be heard either side of Huntingtower, Respighi’s initially sombre, then lively, ballad for wind ensemble.