At the impressive closing concert, the orchestra and choir of the University of Bremen embarked on a musical journey into nature. With a repertoire dedicated to the English composer Vaughan Williams, the concert began with “The Lark Ascending,” a romance for violin and orchestra, in which the violinist Pilar Policano thrilled the audience as soloist. The Argentinian violinist, who now lives in Vienna, is only 16 years old. She has already been awarded the Grand Prix at the V. Yankelevitch International Violin Competition and first prize at the “Nouvelles Etoiles Paris 2022.” She made her debut in Germany at the end-of-semester concert at the Glocke and enchanted the audience with her great talent.
The evening continued with Vaughan Williams’ impressive 1st symphony “A Sea Symphony,” written for choir and orchestra and inspired by texts by Walt Whitman. The extremely demanding piece is one of the most underrated compositions of the 20th century, arranged in 1910 before the First World War.
For the symphony’s performance, the university’s orchestra and choir, with its over 200 members, were joined on stage by international soloists, including the Italian soprano Karola Pavone and Canadian baritone David Pike. Conductor Mariano Chiacciarini chose the choral symphony with Whitman’s texts, taken from the “Leaves of Grass” collection, because, then as now, it sends out a message of peace and appeals to the unity of humanity.
President of the University of Bremen, Professor Jutta Günther, stated in her welcoming address the theme of the concert, the sea, had been carefully chosen. She drew a connection between the sea symphony and the research being conducted at the university: the search for the deep meaning of our existence. The president thanked the MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen, which, in keeping with the “Sea Symphony,” offered an insight into Bremen’s deep-sea research with a presentation in the Glocke foyer.
Contact:
Mariano Chiacchiarini
University Music Director
University of Bremen
Phone: +49 421 67519
chiacchiprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
