Prokofiev and Connesson

Myth and Mischief

📍 This event takes place at Powell Hall

Saturday, Feb 6, 2027, 7:30pm View Subscriptions Sunday, Feb 7, 2027, 3:00pm View Subscriptions

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Program

Stéphane Denève, conductor
Johannes Moser, cello

Camille Saint-Saëns Danse macabre
Guillaume Connesson Cello Concerto
Sergei Prokofiev Selections from Waltz Suite
Sergei Prokofiev Scythian Suite

About this Concert

Vibrant, swirling, hypnotic. The SLSO explores its devilish charm in a weekend of music that is quirky, eccentric, and all at once wonderful. Saint-Saëns’ infamous Danse macabre envisions rattling bones and the devil’s harmonies, and Connesson’s Cello Concerto toys with innovative textures and soundscapes inspired by the earth and the cosmos. A mosaic of Prokofiev’s dance music offers glimpses into Cinderella’s castle, Tolstoy’s War and Peace, and the evil spirits of Slavic mythology.

- Sergei Prokofiev was hired to compose a “ballet on a Russian fairy tale or a primitive prehistoric theme,” in a similar vein as Stravinsky’s sensational Rite of Spring. And following in Stravinsky’s footsteps, the premiere performance of Scythian Suite sparked audience riots and was viewed as an artistic scandal.
- Stéphane Denève and Guillaume Connesson have been friends and musical collaborators for many years. Denève has commissioned several of Connesson’s recent works and conducted the US premiere of his Cello Concerto in 2024.
- Johannes Moser first played the violin, hoping to make music on an instrument different from that of either of his parents (his father was a cellist and his mother a vocalist). He quickly discovered that he was—in his own words—“the world’s worst violinist” and that he had much better chemistry with the cello.