Esprit Orchestra: Circle Maps

Thursday, November 30th, 2023 | Koerner Hall

Alex Pauk, C.M. | Conductor

Erica Goodman | Harp

Kevin Ahfat | Piano

Vito Žuraj (Slovenia) Api-danza macabra * (2021)

* North American Premiere

Žibuoklė Martinaitytė (Lithuania) Millefleur ** (2018)

** Canadian Premiere

Alex Pauk (Canada) Concerto for Harp & Orchestra (2005)

I. Floating World
II. Riffs
III. Cadenza
IV. Embrace
V. Salsalito

Valentin Silvestrov (Ukraine) Postludium (1984)

Symphonic poem for piano and orchestra

Kaija Saariaho (Finland)  Circle Map ** (2012)

For orchestra and electronics

** Canadian Premiere

I. Morning Wind
II. Walls Closing
III. Circles
IV. Days are Sieves
V. Dialogue
VI. Day and Night, Music

Traversing rich and varied musical landscapes, this concert laments the dramatic ecological loss of bees and the associated acoustic loss (referencing its musical predecessor Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee), presents a tapestry of a thousand flowers in the constantly shimmering gestures of Martinaityte’s sonic garden, and delivers harp virtuosity in our Music Director’s harp concerto, specially written for Erica Goodman. Silvestrov’s Postludium, rippling with nostalgia and swirling memories, belies Vladimir Putin’s contention that Ukraine doesn’t exist as a country with its own cultural identity. In memoriam, we honour the late Kaija Saariaho performing her fabulous musical voyage through evocative sound worlds guided by texts of the great Persian poet Rumi.