Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos

Be prepared for a spectacular firework in Poulenc’s Concerto for two pianos. Seated at the pianos are brothers Lucas and Arthur Jessen, a unique synchronized pair. We also hear a new composition about Figaro’s fate as a wedded man.

What happened after the wedding night? Well, according to composer Elena Langer’s opera, Figaro Gets a Divorce, married life wasn’t easy for Figaro. But this bold and colourful suite from 2016 shimmers and bubbles, as if composed for a film, when the Almaviva family is forced to flee during the turbulent 20th century.

Drama takes also over as the young Dutch brothers Lucas and Arthur Jessen interpret Concerto for Two Pianos by Poulenc, a skilled pianist himself. The piece is playful and very French, with a spectacular back-and-forth between both the pianists and orchestra. Poulenc dedicated the concerto to music-lover Winaretta Singer, whose salons were a melting pot of new music in Paris.

The acclaimed young conductor Anna Rakitina has already led a handful of well-known symphony orchestras in the US and Europe, including Sweden. To conclude, she leads the Symphony Orchestra in Sergei Prokofiev’s popular suite from Romeo and Juliet.