Samson et Dalila is the only one of Saint-Saëns's 13 operas that has continuously remained on the programmes of the world's opera houses since its première. In spite of its great success at its 1877 Weimar première, the piece would not be performed in France for another 13 years, even though this opera employing an enormous chorus and presenting spectacular dances scenes - including the famous Bacchanalia - is a true treat for directors to stage. Rachmaninoff dedicated Vocalise, the beautiful final piece in his 14-piece song cycle Romances, to the soprano Antonina Nezhdanova, which is a song without words that the singer can sing to the end by enunciating a single arbitrary vowel sound. Paul Hindemith learned how to play several instruments in order to gain as much familiarity with their attributes as possible and to learn how to exploit them. Thus equipped, he began to write his three-movement Symphony for wind instruments, in which he truly did manage to profit from his experiences and make use of the possibilities offered by the instruments - and by the musicians playing them. The symphony by the Dutch composer Johan de Meij is based on the story of J.R.R. Tolkien's world-famous trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. His six-movement Symphony No. 5, which will conclude the concert, draws its inspiration from Tolkien and is subtitled Return to Middle Earth.

Presented by: Zugló Philharmonic