The Hallé Orchestra, Sergio Castello Lopez

Sir Mark Elder - conductor
Sergio Castello Lopez - clarinet

Programme:
Ravel - Rapsodie Espagnole
Debussy - Premiere rhapsodie (for clarinet and orchestra)
Ravel - Bolero
Mussorgsky (orch. Ravel) - Pictures at an Exhibition

The season begins with a riot of impressionist colours from the Hallé. Ravel’s famous Bolero began life as a commission for ballerina Ida Rubinstein. The composer played down its importance, but its daring simplicity ensured its immortality.

Ravel also transformed Mussorgsky’s gallery tour for solo piano into a twentieth century classic, blending delicate scene painting with awe-inspiring spectacle.

A hint of Ravel’s genius came early in his career when he composed Rapsodie Espagnole, a vision of Spain inspired by his mother’s memories of Madrid. Its mix of the Malaguena and Habanera explodes into an exuberant finale.

Debussy’s Premiere Rhapsodie is, on the surface, a more languid and serene affair but it’s nevertheless a fiendish test piece for its soloist, in this case the Halle’s outstanding Principal clarinettist, Sergio Castello Lopez.