Rising conducting star Aziz Shokhakimov makes his debut appearance with the DR Symfoniorkestret in a programme built around two large orchestral narratives and one intimate song cycle. Shokhakimov is celebrated for his ability to conjure intense, shimmering atmosphere from an orchestra.
The evening opens with highlights from C.F.E. Horneman's Gurre Suite, dramatic and lyrical music originally composed for a 1899 theatrical production about the Danish King Valdemar legend — a tale of nightly ghostly hunts rooted in divine punishment. Though the play itself flopped, Horneman's score was a triumph.
The centrepiece of the orchestral half is Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade, a wild and hypnotic journey through stormy seas, devastating shipwrecks and fantastical visions — one of the great narrative showpieces of the orchestral literature.
Between the two dramatic works, Danish bass Stephen Milling — one of the world's most acclaimed bass singers — performs a selection of Brahms's late songs from 1896, settings of biblical texts exploring love, consolation and mortality, delivered with his distinctive weight and warmth of voice.
Lineup
Aziz Shokhakimov
Aziz Shokhakimov is described as a charismatic rising star of the conducting world, renowned for his ability to conjure a vibrant, atmospheric sound. This concert marks his debut with the DR Symfoniorkestret.
Stephen Milling
Stephen Milling is a Danish bass singer regarded as one of the world's most distinguished voices in his range, known for his exceptional depth and warmth of tone.
DR Symfoniorkestret
DR Symfoniorkestret is the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, resident at DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen. Over the past decade its traversal of Mahler's symphonies with chief conductor Fabio Luisi has produced some of the most memorable moments in the orchestra's history.
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