Berlioz / Ravel

The year 2025 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Maurice Ravel, a key composer in the career of the Basque National Orchestra, whose music will take a central place in this new Season, opening with one of his most ambitious creations: the symphonic-choral ballet Daphnis et Chloé. Premiered in 1912 by the legendary Ballets Russes, Ravel aspired to create a score that "faithfully recreates the Greece of my dreams", and despite not being a great success as a scenic stage, it was soon recognised as a pinnacle in the virtuoso use of an orchestra. The Swiss conductor Stefan Blunier, principal conductor of the Casa da Música de Oporto and an acclaimed specialist in the post-romantic repertoire, will tackle this fascinating fresco of sound, to be joined by Landarbaso Abesbatza. In counterpoint, the soprano Miren Urbieta-Vega will take on the solo role of Herminie, a lyrical scene that Hector Berlioz wrote in his youth and which anticipates some of the famous melodies of the Symphonie fantastique.