Dallapiccola’s "Piccola musica notturna", Rautavaara’s "Balada", and the Spanish Poetry Within
Music talk
30 Apr 2025
7:00-8:00pm
7:00-8:00pm
Dallapiccola’s "Piccola musica notturna", Rautavaara’s "Balada", and the Spanish Poetry Within
In the 20th century, cheap printing, plus the development of radio and other mass-communication methods, helped improve literacy -- much like Gutenberg's invention of movable type half a millennium earlier. But they also made it easier for populist demagogues to gain power. Our program recognizes this historical phenomenon by balancing Mendelssohn's "Hymn of Praise" with works by two outstanding 20th-century composers, both of which are based on poetry by Spanish authors persecuted by fascists.
Luigi Dallapiccola’s Piccola musica notturna (A Little Night Music) is a relatively brief orchestral work responding to an evocative poem by Antonio Machado. Einojuhani Rautavaara was, arguably, the greatest Finnish successor to Jean Sibelius. Deeply devoted to the poetry of Federico García Lorca, he composed two large-scale settings for unaccompanied chorus of poems by that greatest of 20th-century Spanish poets. Late in life, Rautavaara also planned an opera on the subject of García Lorca. The opera project never came to fruition, but the composer eventually took the material he’d already written and assembled it into a 17-minute-long piece for chorus and orchestra entitled Balada.
In this talk, we will take a deep look into these two great works and the Spanish poetry within. This event will be conducted in English.
Ahead of its upcoming concert on May 10, 2025 featuring Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang, Dallapiccola’s Piccola musica notturna and Rautavaara’s Balada, the Hong Kong Bach Choir is presenting two pre-concert talks in partnership with Wyndham Social and Pinewood Wine Hong Kong. Music Director Jerome Hoberman will share stories behind these great composers and the driving forces behind their compositions. While immersed in the cozy atmosphere, you’ll also get to taste wines carefully selected to reflect the different flairs of the repertoire. And we will have unique wine offerings for each session!
The talks are proudly supported by Wyndham Social, Pinewood Wine and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Hong Kong Arts Development Council supports freedom of artistic expression. The views and opinions expressed in this project do not represent the stand of the Council.
The concert, Mendelssohn Lobgesang, will take place on Saturday May 10, 2025, 8PM, at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall. Featured soloists are sopranos Louise Kwong and Rachel Kwok, tenors Chen Chen and Francisco Fernández. Jerome Hoberman conducts. For details and tickets, please visit the event URBTIX site at https://www.urbtix.hk/event-detail/12987/.
About the Speaker: Jerome Hoberman
Jerome Hoberman has been the Music Director and Conductor of The Hong Kong Bach Choir since 1992. He is known for his communicative ability that inspires musicians and audiences alike. Hoberman has directed various orchestras, including the Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra and the Nittany Valley Symphony. He has led many significant first performances, introducing the music of Witold Lutosławski to Mainland China and Luigi Dallapiccola to Ukraine. He is also dedicated to the education of young musicians and has directed orchestras at Hong Kong Baptist University and the University of Notre Dame.
About The Hong Kong Bach Choir
The Hong Kong Bach Choir, established in 1970, has grown from a modest group of 15 people to a leading classical chorus with over 100 multinational members. The Choir has performed at prestigious events such as Le French May and the 1997 Handover Ceremony. It has collaborated with local and international groups, including the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and the Cornell University Chorus. Known for its artistic quality and creative programming, the Choir has introduced a wide variety of music to Hong Kong, including newly commissioned works and Asian premières. Since 1992, Jerome Hoberman has been its Music Director.
