Mozart and Grieg

Michael Kaulartz, the Iceland Symphony's new principal bassoonist, has won the hearts of concertgoers enthralled with his rich tone and expressive interpretation. Now we have the chance to hear this German bassoon virtuoso take the stage as soloist in Mozart's first woodwind concerto, the lyrical and inspired Bassoon Concerto, written when the composer was only 18 years old.

The rest of the evening is dedicated to a programme of theatrical music curated by the ISO's new Chief Conductor, Yan Pascal Tortelier. The stage is set with the sprightly overture to Mozart's “Turkish” opera, The Abduction from the Seraglio, which is followed by the ever-popular music from Grieg's Peer Gynt, written for Henrik Ibsen's eponymous play. Among the movements performed are “Solvejg's Song”, “Morning Mood”, and “In the Hall of the Mountain King”. 

No less captivating is the music written by Georges Bizet to accompany Daudet's play L'Arlésienne premiered in Paris in 1872, three years before the opera Carmen. The play was not a success and closed after only 21 performances. Bizet responded by collecting the best musical numbers and creating suites of incidental music that became highly popular and made the composer a well-known quantity all over Paris.