DANIEL HARDING / JOSHUA BELL / BRYN TERFEL
Verbier Festival Orchestra
de Hartmann, Bock & Harnick, Rachmaninoff
Joshua Bell, Bryn Terfel, Daniel Harding: three stalwarts of the music world, brought together for three repertoires in their own right: the poignant Violin Concerto by de Hartmann, the timeless Fiddler on the Roof, and the symphonic depths of Rachmaninov.
Programme
THOMAS DE HARTMANN (1884-1956)
Violin Concerto Op. 66
JERRY BOCK (1928-2010) & SHELDON HARNICK (1924-2021)
Excerpts from Fiddler on the Roof including “If I were a rich man”
Interval
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF (1873-1943)
Symphony No. 2 in E minor Op. 27
Artist(s)
- Verbier Festival Orchestra
- Daniel Harding Conductor
- Joshua Bell violin
- Bryn Terfel bass-baritone
Joshua Bell plays Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 at the 2015
The Verbier Festival Orchestra, under the inspired direction of Daniel Harding, brings together exceptional soloists this year for a program of remarkable intensity and variety. Joshua Bell, an iconic figure of contemporary violin, shines in Thomas de Hartmann’s Violin Concerto, Op. 66, a captivating work that blends virtuosity with lyrical depth. The dialogue between the violin and the orchestra reveals passages that are both powerful and delicate, each dramatic nuance heightened by the conductor’s expertise and the soloist’s sensitivity.
Baryton-bass Bryn Terfel then brings his charismatic presence to excerpts from the musical Fiddler on the Roof, composed by Jerry Bock with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, including the famous “If I Were a Rich Man.” Combining nostalgia and humor, these pieces evoke the richness of tradition and the strength of Jewish-American culture in the immediate postwar period.
The second half of the evening reaches an emotional pinnacle with Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27. A masterpiece of lyricism and contrast, it captivates audiences with its perpetual motion, the haunting clarinet melody, and the subtle balance between tension and elegance. Every orchestral phrase is carried by the energy of the Verbier Festival Orchestra, delivering a vibrant and deeply moving interpretation that closes the concert in a triumph of virtuosity and musical poetry.
