3200 3rd Ave W
Seattle, WA 98119
USA
Concert by Orchestra Seattle and Seattle Chamber Singers, conducted by Clinton Smith
Program:
Sibelius: Preludio for winds and brass
Nielsen: Sleep
Sibelius: Snöfrid
Nielsen: Symphony No. 2 (“The Four Temperaments”)
This program of four rarely performed works celebrates the 150th birthdays of Scandinavian composers Jean Sibelius and Carl Nielsen. The North American premiere of Sibelius’ Preludio took place here in Seattle in 1991; his evocative melodrama Snöfrid tells of a young man’s encounter with a magical female being. Nielsen’s Sleep begins and ends blissfully but its central section conjures up horrific nightmares, while his Symphony No. 2, inspired by a painting he encountered in a pub, illustrates humanity’s four temperaments: choleric, phlegmatic, melancholic and sanguine—although infrequently performed, it is truly a gem worthy of a birthday celebration.