Rhapsody in Blue

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Image courtesy of L'auditori.

This concert is another of the highlights of the Barcelona Symphonic Band season, featuring two first performances and a premiere and showcasing music by composer Johan de Meij, who appears as guest conductor.

Being heard for the first time in Barcelona is the Dutch composer’s work The Painted Bird, based on the novel by Jerzy Kosinski, which tells the story of a young Jewish boy during World War II. Also taking inspiration from a book is El Libro Olvidado (The Forgotten Book), the premiere of a work commissioned by the Band, based on the novel The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

Two further works round off the program: the highly acclaimed Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, with pianist Judith Jáuregui, and The Year 1941 by Sergei Prokofiev, with the concert band version being performed for the first time. This dramatic suite takes its name from the year in which the author, along with other composers, was evacuated from the Soviet Union when Nazi Germany began its attack.

Program

• Johan de Meij: The Painted Bird (2020) 11’ – National premiere
• George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue (1924) 18’
• Sergei Prokofiev: The Year 1941, Op. 90 (1941) 15’ – World premiere of the Band Version
• Johan de Meij: Libros olvidados (based on The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón) 15’ – Commissioned work, world premiere

For more music events check our online events calendar.