SCOTLAND is the inspiration behind the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO)’s mission to bring its audience on a musical Scottish Fantasy journey this Saturday at 8.30pm, and Sunday at 3pm at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP).
Composer Max Bruch (1838-1920) was drawn to this land through a collection of folk songs and literature as the guiding spirit for his work which he composed in 1862.
Scottish Fantasy was dedicated to the great Spanish virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate, and is laid out in four movements, each based on a different Scottish song.
Also included in the programme is Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No.3, nicknamed ‘Scottish’.
It was written when the composer toured Scotland in 1829.
He was inspired when he came upon the picturesque ruins of the Palace of Holyrood where Mary the Queen of Scots had once lived.
This is his last major orchestral work, which premiered in 1842 with Mendelssohn himself on the podium.
The concerts, to be led by Olari Elts, will open with Johannes Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture, written as a ‘doctoral thesis’ for the honorary degree conferred on him by a German university.
The concerts will also feature violinist Tianwa Yang (right) who returns to DFP after her successful collaboration with the MPO in 2013.
Yang has performed with prestigious orchestras such as the Leipzig and New Zealand Symphonies, and the Dresden and Helsinki Philharmonics, with engagements at the Ravinia and Montpellier Festivals.
The violinist has won many awards throughout her illustrious career including the Echo Klassik Instrumental of the Year 2015.
For more, visit the MPO website.
Violinist Tianwa Yang to play with MPO again
