deFilharmonie olv. Jakub Hrusa

deFilharmonie presents three ways to wallow in death. Rachmaninoff's 'Isle of the Dead' is cloaked in darkness. A persistent five-four rhythm marks with lugubrious precision the oar-strokes of the ferryman Charon. Later, you hear in it the laboured breathing of a mortal who is desperately trying to escape. Liszt returns to the dance of death. With every symphonic variation on the 'Dies irae', a totally different character confronts death. Despite the medieval atmosphere, the macabre orchestral effects are far ahead of their time. The virtuoso, sometimes almost percussive piano score is a juicy bone for Liebrecht Vanbeckevoort. You will remember the Queen Elizabeth Competition where our fellow countryman richly deserved his place in the final six. Our conductor for the evening, the young Czech sensation Jakub Hrusa, ends on familiar territory with 'Asrael'. Suk began this work about the legendary angel of death following the death of his mentor and father-in-law Dvorák. In the middle of the composition process, his wife Ottilie also died, an event which is manifested in the last two movements. The gripping and elaborate result bears comparison with Strauss's symphonic poems.