Stravinsky Funeral Song: US Premiere and More Announced

By: Nov. 30, 2016
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Following its rediscovery last year and performance in St. Petersburg in December, Stravinsky's Funeral Song receives premieres in 15 countries around the world, programmed by leading orchestras and conductors.

Orchestras have swiftly added Igor Stravinsky's rediscovered Funeral Song into their current seasons, adjusting their programs to allow the work to be heard as soon as possible. Following the historic performance at the Mariinsky Theatre on December 2, conducted by Valery Gergiev, the 12-minute orchestral score will receive over 25 performances in 2017 and beyond, traveling to 15 countries, as listed below. Dates include the UK premiere with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen (February 19, 2017), the US premiere with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit (April 6) and the German premiere with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle (May 31).

The music of Funeral Song, composed by the young composer as an orchestral memorial tribute to his teacher Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, disappeared after its only performance in 1909, returning to light last year in the library of the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory. The rediscovery has aroused immense interest around the musical world, offering a view on the young composer between his early works and his ballet The Firebird, which launched his international career with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.

The St. Petersburg performance on December 2 is filmed for television and streamed live by Medici.tv and Mezzo. A video introduction to Funeral Song is presented on the Mariinsky TV channel by Dr. Natalia Braginskaya, whose musicological detective work led to the rediscovery of the orchestral parts for the work. The score of Funeral Song, reconstructed from the complete set of parts by Dr. Braginskaya and the St. Petersburg Conservatory, will be published in early 2017 by Boosey & Hawkes, Stravinsky's principal publisher.

Funeral Song Premieres in 2017 and Beyond
Further performances of Funeral Song around the world are currently being confirmed. For an up-to-date list, please visit the performances area of boosey.com.

Jan 20/21
Lotte Concert Hall, Seoul
(Asian premiere)
Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra/Markus Stenz

Feb 16
Esplanade Concert Hall, Singapore
(Southeast Asian premiere)
Singapore Symphony Orchestra/Charles Dutoit

Feb 18
Royal Concertgebouw Hall, Amsterdam
(Dutch premiere)
NTR ZaterdagMatinee series
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic/Markus Stenz

Feb 19
Royal Festival Hall, London
(UK premiere)
Philharmonia Orchestra/Esa-Pekka Salonen

Feb 24
Auditorio Nacional de la Música, Madrid
(Spanish premiere)
Philharmonia Orchestra/Esa-Pekka Salonen

Apr 6/7, 11
Symphony Center, Chicago
(North American premiere)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Charles Dutoit

May 18
Tokyo Opera City, Tokyo
(Japanese premiere)
Philharmonia Orchestra/Esa-Pekka Salonen

May 25
Auditorium RAI, Turin
(Italian premiere)
Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale RAI/James Conlon

May 31, Jun 2/3
Philharmonie, Berlin
(German premiere)
Berliner Philharmoniker/Sir Simon Rattle

Jun 29/30, Jul 1
Sydney Opera House
(Australian premiere)
Sydney Symphony Orchestra/Charles Dutoit

Sep 7/8
Grieghallen, Bergen
(Norwegian premiere)
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra/Edward Gardner

Oct 19/21
Konserthuset, Stockholm
(Swedish premiere)
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra/Sakari Oramo

Oct 26/27
Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon
(Portuguese premiere)
Orquestra Gulbenkian/Lawrence Foster

Dec 8
Grand Hall of the Kolarac Foundation, Belgrade
(Serbian premiere)
Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra/Hans Graf

May 17/19 (2018)
DR Koncerthuset, Copenhagen
(Danish premiere)
Danish National Symphony Orchestra/Juanjo Mena

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