University of Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Daniela Musca
Programme
- Helena Munktell: Suite for large orchestra
- Ottorino Respighi: Fontane di Roma
- Edvard Grieg: Symphonic dances op. 64
Helena Munktell (1852−1919) grew up in a well-ordered home in Dalarna, where she began to study composition in private. She later continued her studies in Vienna and Paris, and was elected to the French Composers' Association in the 1890s. Later in life she returned to Sweden, where she got elected into the Swedish Academy of Music and became the first female member of the Association of Swedish Composers. Munktell composed about fifty works, including the one-act play I Firenze, which is considered the first opera by a Swedish female composer. Simultaneously with working on the opera, Munktell had worked with Suite for large orchestra, which premiered in 1895 in Monte Carlo.
Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936) was one of Italy's most prominent composers of the 20th century. His works include everything from opera and ballet, to choral works and transcriptions of older Italian music. He is best known for his orchestral tunes. The Fontane di Roma from 1916 was his first great success. The four movements each shape a Roman fountain at different times of the day.
Brahms' Hungarian Dances and Dvořák's Slavic Dances are usually mentioned as models for Edvard Grieg's (1843–1907) Symphonic Dances. But he was also inspired by his compatriot Ludvig Mathias Lindeman, known for his work in collecting and publishing Norwegian folk music. Grieg originally wrote the four dances for four-handed piano in 1896 and orchestrated them the following year.
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