The Vallès Symphony Orchestra presents the concert Tchaikovsky Ballets and the catalan premiere of Raquel Garcia-Tomás
03.02.2025
The Vallès Symphony Orchestra presents the concert Tchaikovsky Ballets on the weekend of February 8 and 9 at the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Factoria Cultural de Terrassa. The program includes a selection of Tchaikovsky’s most iconic works, such as The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker, under a script specially written for the occasion by Elisabet Franch (OSV assistant flutist), who narrates the storyline in the first person:
"Tchaikovsky’s three ballets share a common element: a curse. Tchaikovsky’s curses begin the moment the composer drinks the glass of contaminated water that allegedly causes his cholera and death at just 53 years old. After drinking, Tchaikovsky travels back in time and explains how he began composing Swan Lake (1876), followed by The Sleeping Beauty (1889) and The Nutcracker (1892)."
Alongside the composition of these ballets, the story—based on and documented through the composer’s correspondence and diaries—depicts key moments in Tchaikovsky’s life. Actor Sergi Mateu will bring the composer to life, giving voice to his personal story as he opens his heart to the audience.
Additionally, two contemporary pieces will be performed: Badder Gyrations by Florence Anna Maunders and Ceci n'est pas une valse by Raquel García-Tomás. The latter is a commission by the Palau de la Música Catalana, the OSV, the Real Filharmonía de Galicia, and the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera, and will have its Catalan premiere following its debut at the Auditorio de Galicia.
Isabel Rubio returns to Barcelona to conduct the OSV
The concerts will be conducted by Isabel Rubio, who returns to the OSV after leading the New Year’s concerts at the Palau de la Música Catalana. The renowned Murcia-born conductor, currently the principal conductor of the Jove Orquestra de les Comarques Gironines, has conducted orchestras such as the Spanish National Orchestra, the Galicia Symphony Orchestra, and the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, among others. She was a finalist in the competition for the assistant conductor position at the Berlin Philharmonic and has won several conducting competitions.
Catalan premiere of Ceci n'est pas une valse by Raquel García-Tomás
The program includes Ceci n'est pas une valse by Barcelona-born composer Raquel García-Tomás, recently awarded the National Prize for Culture. This commission from the Palau de la Música Catalana, the OSV, the Real Filharmonía de Galicia, and the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera premiered at the Auditorio de Galicia last autumn and is now presented in Catalonia for the first time.
The concept behind the piece is to engage the audience by playing with familiar musical codes, making them part of the artistic playfulness embedded in the composition. Through these references, García-Tomás creates a fun and intriguing work that builds a connection with listeners, drawing on the small details of late 19th-century symphonic waltzes and then transforming them into a completely different sonic experience.
Raquel García-Tomás is the season’s guest composer at the Palau de la Música Catalana. In 2020, she was awarded the National Music Prize "for the interdisciplinary, innovative, and daring nature of a singular and unique compositional language." In 2017, she received RTVE’s El Ojo Crítico Classical Music Award "for the originality of her approaches and for her use and combination of musical language with technological and audiovisual elements."
Recently, she received the 2024 National Culture Award from the Government of Catalonia "for her excellence in musical composition, the result of solid training and a strong aptitude for contemporary innovation, allowing her to strike a balance between sonic and visual experimentation while still captivating a broad audience."
Badder Gyrations by Florence Anna Maunders
Additionally, Badder Gyrations by British trans composer Florence Anna Maunders will be performed. Badder Gyrations is a vibrant celebration of urban and underground dance rhythms, seen through the eyes (or rather, heard through the ears) of a composer trained in a very different musical tradition. Mutant funk merges with distorted dubstep and drum 'n' bass, stretching and transforming into new and unsettling forms.
This contemporary piece brings a fresh and innovative perspective to the program, complementing Tchaikovsky’s classical works.
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