2020 I 2021 SEASON
MOZART, SCHUBERTSACRED SYMPHONIES
DIFFUSION
2 - 13 APRIL 2021 ; 15 - 30 JULY 2021 ;25 AUGUST - 5 SEPTEMBER 2021
insulaorchestra.fr
Numbers : 4 soloists ; 35 singers ; 50 musicians
- La Seine Musicale (Paris) : march 2021
- Aix-en-Provence: april 2021
Diffusion :
2 - 13 april 2021 ; 15 - 30 july 2021 ; 25 august - 5 september 2021
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1H50 with interval
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)Symphony n° 40 orFranz Schubert (1797-1828)Symphony n° 4 «Tragic»
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)Missa solemnis in A flat D 678
soloistsTBCaccentusInsula orchestra Laurence Equilbey, conductor
ARTISTIC PROJECT
Many years have passed since the death of the giant Beethoven, and countless musicians have searched – often unsuccessfully – for an alternative to the symphonic form.
Yet one path, though ready-made and waiting to be explored, remained unsuspected, simply because Franz Schubert’s symphonies were undiscovered, being brought belatedly to concert hall audiences. The Symphony n°4, or “Tragic”, is one of these. Its depth and maturity show how, at just 19, Schubert, already amply deserved to rank alongside Beethoven in the history of the symphonic genre.
There is no question that the young composer was deeply inspired by Mozart’s symphonies, a repertory that he discovered as a musician while playing for the orchestra in Konvikt where he was at school. The “40th“, the penultimate symphony penned by the master of Salzburg, inspired Schubert not only to write works orchestrated in a style that was at once refined and parsimonious, but also his versatile, yet rigorous mastery of musical form.
The result of his first years of emancipation, Schubert’s Mass in A flat (Missa solemnis) D.678 was the last of a series of major unfinished works. No longer shackled by commissions, Schubert could give free rein to his imagination and deliver a score that was both personal and bold: from utterly innovative instrumental combinations to the fullness of the tutti, the religious feeling is borne by alternate moods of wandering and triumph.
Schubert deemed the Mass sufficiently successful to offer it to the Imperial court, which turned it down, unimpressed by an originality, which, in addition to its lyricism, are the main reasons for the work’s enduring success.
MOZART, SCHUBERTSACRED SYMPHONIES
AUDIO / VIDEO RECORDS
Insula Orchestra -Laurence Equilbey, 23 march 2015, Philharmonie de Paris. Franz Schubert - Symphony N°4
IN THE PRESSE
« The nineth of Schubert, this long river of music lets each diaprure glitter each sparkling refection. We can guess each note, each detail, each relief. On devine chaque note, chaque détail, chaque relief. »« Insula orchestra, there are strings to infallible attacks, ce sont des cordes aux attaques infaillibles, with agile and precise dexterity... »Patrick de Maria, La Marseillaise, 2 December 2017
« Ms. Equilbey drew lithe, impressively natural playing from the excellent orchestra. And the great final chorus of praise, a stirring fugue, could not have been better »Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, 20 july 2018
« The period-instruments Insula orchestra, led by Laurence Equilbey, brought clarity and rhythmic definition to sections of the score (...; the featured solos, particularly the flute representing the nightingale’s song, were delightful. The fine choir, accentus, did its best work when it was allowed to stand still onstage»Heidi Waleson, The Wall Street Journal, 23 july 2018
«Laurence Equilbey, an intellectually powerful conductor with probing insight into the psychological nature of music, clearly knows how to rehearse and mold a performance. (...) This is what historically informed performance pratice is really about : learning where the expression, and contrasts, lives in the music. (...) Equilbey’s Insula orchestra plays beautifully, with a rich sound, and lacking the mannerism and stiffness that can sometimes weigh down period instrument ensembles»Brian Taylor, ZealNyc, 23 July 2018
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DISCOGRAPHY
insulaorchestra.fr
SUPPORTERS
CONTACTS
Samuel Serin, Managing [email protected] +33 (0)6 03 21 13 67
David Bodou, External relations [email protected]+33 (0)6 73 58 53 18
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SCHUBERT, NACHT & TRÄUMESCHUBERT, LIEDER AVEC ORCHESTRE
Stanislas de Barbeyrac
Wiebke Lehmkuhl
Laurence Equilbey, accentus - Insula orchestra
Warner Classics – Erato
3 november 2017