Singing a Song in a Foreign Land

Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, Royal College of Music, Prince Consort Road, London
Singing a Song in a Foreign Land image
Ad
Event has ended
This event ended on Wednesday 26th of September 2012
Admission
£8, £10
Venue Information
Royal College Of Music
Prince Consort Road, SW7 2BS
Nearest Tube/Rail Stations
South Kensington 0.38 miles

Norbert Meyn narrator
Patricia Rozario soprano


Hans Gál Clarinet Quintet op 107
Hans Gál What a Life!
Hans Gál Nachtmusik


Director of the Mainz Conservatory, Hans Gál was one of the most influential figures in German life. However his life came crashing down in 1933 when the Nazis came to power: stripped of his post, his music was banned and he and his family were forced to flee the city.

Tonight’s unique event, curated by RCM professor Norbert Meyn, gives audiences the chance to hear 2 of his most extraordinary works, written in response to his desperate situation.

Nachtmusik for soprano, male choir, flute, cello & piano was written in 1933 when Gál was living in exile in the Black Forest, and contains the significant line: “Come, O nightingale, consolation of the night”.

The comic revue What a Life! was written 7 years later, when he had fled to Britain but had been interned on the Isle of Man. Gál’s delight in this work was such that he stayed in the hated camp for a day after his release had been granted, so he could give a second performance.




This concert is preceded by a talk at 6.30pm in the RCM Museum

This concert forms part of Project ESTHER, an exploration of music written in emigration, in partnership with Jeunesse Musicale Schwerin, Exil Arte Vienna and Pro Quartet Paris. It will be repeated at the Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater in Schwerin, Germany on 29 September as part of the festival Verfemte Musik 2012. With the support of the Culture Programme of the European Union.

Tags: Music

User Reviews

There are no user reviews