Daniel Kidane’s new piece Sun Poem, co-commisioned by the London Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony, has its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival on Thursday 18 August conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.
The performance has collected some really excellent reviews:
"A single muted trumpet note sounded hesitantly, which gave birth to another note in the flutes, then another in the brass. Suddenly the whole orchestra seemed to be capering madly, suggesting an enticing future ahead of the new-born. This soon gave way to more reflective music, with glowing tendrils of clarinet and marimba, suggesting the awareness of the past that helps us make sense of the future. That idea might sound ponderous in words, but it wasn’t at all so when expressed in this beautifully made, engaging piece."
- The Daily Telegraph ★★★★★
"We also had the premiere of Daniel Kidane’s Sun Poem, a piece he wrote about the journey of fatherhood. The music moves from the uneasy nervous energy of its opening through to something warmer and more beautiful, perhaps reflecting the emotions that a new father feels. Over ten minutes Kidane uses his orchestral canvas with great skill, the tintinnabulating winds and percussion twinkling against beautifully smooth string writing." - The Times ★★★★
Sir Simon then took it on a European tour, which included performances at Grafenegg Festival, Luzerne Festival, Musikfest Berlin and Luxemburg Festival. The London premiere at the Barbican Centre on 11 September marked the opening of Sir Simon’s last season as Music Director of the LSO. The performance was enthusiastically received:
"Inspired by two emotional family milestones (the death of Kidane’s father and the arrival of his first child), Sun Poem tickled the ears right from its first tentative trumpet notes, quickly building in momentum and cohesion until the whole orchestra, glinting and frenetic, raced onwards, glued together by tiny phrases with contours resembling bell chimes. (...) Sun Poem was taut, terrific and excellently played."
- The Times ★★★★
The US premiere will be given by San Francisco Symphony conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen at Mondavi Center for Performing Arts on 6 October and will be followed by three more performances at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco.
For more information on the events, please click on the festivals' / venues' names below:
18 August, Edinburgh International Festival (world premiere)
26 August, Grafenegg Festival
02 September, Musikfest Berlin
04 September, Lucerne Festival
11 September, The Barbican Centre (London premiere)
19 September, Luxemburg Festival: https://www.philharmonie.lu/en/programm/sir-simon-rattle-london-symphony-orchestra/4035
6 October, Mondavi Center for Performing Arts (US Premiere)
7, 8, 9 October, Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco
Photo credit: Kaupo Kikkas
