Flexible transformation
As the soul of SSO, French Music Director and Main Conductor Olivier Ochanine always surprises fans with his ability to flexibly transform through each performance night and season.
Each show is new and different, even for classical music enthusiasts. Therefore, right from the moment of announcing ticket sales, 'To Love & To Honor' has attracted special attention from the public because of its exceptionally diverse music colours, expressing breakthrough discoveries in the 2023 season of the Sun Symphony Orchestra.
The majority of the public is no longer unfamiliar with classical music monuments such as Rossini, Bizet, Delibes, and Strauss Jr., the remaining famous composers such as Waldteufel, Sousa, Meacham, Offenbach, and Massenet are very famous, but not all Vietnamese audiences have ever enjoyed their work.
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| Conductor Olivier Ochanine. |
Designing a 10-piece rich repertoire, running for more than two hours, and keeping its appeal right down to the last sound, was a particularly great effort by the entire orchestra. It shows the mastery and high-class musical thinking of conductor Olivier Ochanine, which he has been doing with a large team of high-quality, multi-national, multi-coloured artists gathered at the SSO.
Brilliant music colours
Opening with the 'Overture to Barber of Seville' by renowned Italian opera composer Gioachino Rossini is a smart choice. Gioachino Rossini is known for some of the most recognizable tunes in the entire orchestra and operatic literature. Think of the fanfare from the William Tell Overture, which has been used in countless movies and cartoons. The Barber of Seville has also had extensive use in popular media and is filled with wit, sparkle and fun melodies.
The overture’s catchy melodies and long crescendos typical of Rossini, make for a very memorable concert opener.
The youthful, vibrant rhythms increase the steps for the two dances Mazurka and Czarda from Coppelia - one of the greatest and most beloved comedies of the 19th century French composer Léo Delibes or Romantic melody in the waltz with Dolores Waltz by French dance composer Émile Waldteufel, made the feet of the dance-loving audience constantly wiggle.
The deep melodies and captivating rhythms of the waltz, through the ethereal tones of the violin, accompanied by the wonderful harmony of the orchestra, will make the listener feel like they are swaying, spinning rhythmically in the dance of love, at a splendid ballroom in the middle of Europe.
The highlight of the show's explosion lies in the opening work of the second season, Selections from L'Arlesienne by composer Bizet, the father of the world's most famous controversial opera - Carmen.
The prelude, in march time, opens with an energetic theme played in unison by the woodwinds, horns and violins. This theme undergoes various contrasting mutations before it is then taken up fortissimo in full orchestra, gradually disappearing into the distance. An intermezzo ensues, with a beautiful, lyrical solo on the clarinet. The movement draws to a close with a charming melody in the muted strings, accompanied by the woodwinds and brasses.
The second movement is a minuet in the usual form with a trio in imitation of the bagpipe, and the third is a tender romance for the muted strings. The last movement, Carillon, imitates large church bells. The bells sound an accompaniment, a repetition of three notes, against an energetic little dance theme in the violins and other instruments, which is followed by a pastoral subject of a quaint sort. At its conclusion, the carillon effect is reproduced and the suite comes to its close.
Following Bizet's Selections from L'Arlesienne is Massenet's Suite from Le Cid, Offenbach's Barcarolle from Tales of Hoffman, Sousa's The Belle of Chicago, Meacham's American Patrol, and Josef Strauss's Dithyrambe Mazurka (Op. 236). Sousa's Charlatan March is the beautiful ending that the orchestra gives to the fans.
Established in 2017, under the umbrella of the Sun Group, the Sun Symphony Orchestra (SSO) aims to become one of Vietnam’s premier classical orchestras, enriching the lives of the country’s people through music and bringing a new standard to the Vietnamese cultural scene.
Since its official launch in May 2018, the Sun Symphony Orchestra has already garnered a reputation for its consistent artistic quality, having earned accolades from prominent composers, international artists and eminent cultural authorities.
