Photo: Elizabeth Delage
Guest artist: Elinor Frey, cello soloist and leader
Welcome to AN ELEGANT FIRE from Elinor Frey
As a reaction to the dense introspection of the Baroque masters, a wave of composers in the middle of the 1700’s searched for a mode of expression that was lighter, more transparent, and melody driven. This simpler way of creating music manifested itself in a directness that allowed for a witty and elegant clarity to match the intellectual fashions of the day.
The term ‘Galant’ is used to describe this form of expression that falls somewhere between Baroque and Classical. This ‘Galant’ style suited a generation of musical swashbucklers such as Luigi Boccherini, Joseph Haydn and C. P. E. Bach who composed passionate music to showcase their colleagues’ virtuosity.
Cellist Elinor Frey, fresh off a JUNO award in 2023 for her album Early Italian Cello Concertos, joins London Symphonia in fresh, fiery, and almost unbearably clever repertoire from composers in the ‘Galant’ style.
Program
Symphony No. 6 in D Major “Le matin” by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Cello Concerto in A Major by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1713-1788)
Symphony in D Major, Qq. 183/1 by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Cello Concerto in D Major, G 483 by Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805)
Allegro assai con moto from Sinfonia Op. 12, No. 4 in D minor, G. 506 “La Casa del Diavolo” by Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805)
Enjoy reading the Concert Program before you come or at Metropolitan United before the concert begins.
Audio file of Program Notes by Elinor Frey
Behind the Music
Elinor Frey’s passion for the music she has chosen for An Elegant Fire shines throughout her interview with Andrew Chung, Artistic Producer. They discuss a modern day approach to leading an orchestra from the cello, the aesthetic behind music composed in the "Galant" style, and the fun to be found in each of these pieces.