ADVENT CONCERT BRITTEN • DOHNÁNYI • COPLAND

To celebrate the approach of Christmas, the harp and voice take center stage.

Conductor Bar Avni, the 2024 winner of the La Maestra competition and conductor of the Bayer Philharmoniker, leads a radiant program. Born in 1987, she is establishing herself as one of Europe’s most promising conductors. Alongside her, Anaëlle Tourret, principal harpist of the NDR Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, performs Dohnányi's Concertino for Harp and Chamber Orchestra, an elegant and late work (1952) that blends virtuosity with pastoral sweetness.

The Opéra Junior Choir, prepared by Albert Alcaraz, opens the evening with Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols (1942), written during a transatlantic crossing for women’s choir and harp. This is followed by Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring, a love letter to rural America. Finally, Britten's The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, variations on a theme by Purcell, playfully showcases woodwinds, brass, strings, and percussion, before bringing them together in a grand final fugue. A choral and symphonic program, balancing sweetness and brilliance.

Duration: ±1h50 with intermission
Single ticket price: €16

►Friday, December 4
8:00 PM

►Saturday, December 5
7:00 PM

Program

Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976)
Ceremony of Carols

Ernő Dohnányi (1877 – 1960)
Concertino for Harp and Chamber Orchestra opus 45

Aaron Copland (1900 – 1990)
Appalachian Spring

Benjamin Britten
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell

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