| Mariinsky Theater Orchestra Valery Gergiev conductor |
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| Claude Debussy Olivier Messiaen Igor Stravinsky Dmitry Shostakovich |
L´après-midi d´un faune / The Afternoon of a Faun L´Ascension, 4 meditations for orchestra The Firebird, ballet suite / version from 1919 Symphony No. 15 in A Major, Op. 141 |
Debussy’s The Afternoon of a Faun is an iconic composition of the French music impressionism which adumbrated the development of this artistic movement long years earlier. The eponymous poem by Stéphane Mallarmé inspired the composer to write it in 1894. L’Ascension was composed by Olivier Messiaen in 1933 as symphonic meditations possessing deeply sacred content. The ballet suite The Firebird belongs to the so-called Russian period of Igor Stravinsky when he elaborated the inspirations from his native country in his compositions. The last symphony by Dmitry Shostakovich resulted from a profound wisdom of his life. In it the reflective elements bind with moments of piercing sarcasm.
More than 25 years ago Valery Gergiev started his international career in Bratislava. Today one of the prominent conductors of our time he won in 1980 at the rostrum of young artists held within BMF called Interpodium. From time to time he returns to our festival (2010, 2014) – this time with his excellent Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra from Saint Petersburg.