Flamenco!

From Spain to the Orient, the theme of feminine seduction weaves through the works featured in this concert, magnificently brought to life by Maria Toledo, the new face of contemporary flamenco. Following an extended stay in the Iberian Peninsula, the spirited Chabrier exalts Hispanic and Andalusian music in his celebrated rhapsody España. Decades later, Spain's most renowned composer, Manuel de Falla, answered a commission from a great flamenco dancer by composing El amor brujo (Love, the Magician). This work tells the tale of the gypsy Candela, haunted by the ghost of her former lover. To love the handsome Carmelo freely, she ultimately banishes the spirit by diverting his attention to another woman.

In Russia, Rimsky-Korsakov takes us to the land of a stern sultan, captivated by the enchanting tales that Scheherazade invents daily to postpone her execution. After a thousand and one nights of mesmerizing stories, the sultan abandons his dark resolve. The theme of Scheherazade, entrusted to the violin and harp, alternates with the sultan’s theme, played by the brass. Between movements of this musical fresco, Clemens Schuldt sets the stage for Maria Toledo, the muse of modern flamenco.

After the performance, Clemens Schuldt will share the secrets of this masterpiece during a post-concert discussion in the Foyer of the Grand Théâtre!