Dedicated to Noemi Gyori, Thaleia Concerto of Christian Mason composed for flute/piccolo and orchestra strives to respond to Debussy’s iconic flute works by relying on Greek mythology as an inspiration. However, rather than centring the world, feelings and desires of Pan towards a nymph as Debussy does in his music, Mason opens up space for a female character of a nymph, to portray her voice and to provide substantial material for a female character to vocalise and detail her sentiments through the sound of the flute and piccolo. The concerto, and the programming of the concert therefore not only celebrate femininity, the capacities of the flute and Debussy’s music, but also reflect on these and their historic content with a contemporary musical and societal perspective.
After the successful world premiere with the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège under the baton of Gergely Madaras, Noemi Gyori is to perform the UK premiere with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales on 21 June 2024 at 7:30 PM at the Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff.
Here is a short video on the story of Thaleia and about the making of the concerto: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GawaXWV7vHc
Ticket prices: from £5