Basque National Orchestra to requiere "Pensieri, rhapsody for flute and orchestra" by Luis de Pablo

The Basque National Orchestra's new programme of Season Concerts will take place from 30 October to 5 November. The highlight this season is the world premiere of composer Luis de Pablo's Pensieri, Rhapsody for Flute and Orchestra. This first-time performance is a tribute to the Bilbao composer who turned 85 in January. The Orchestra is also proud to present two extraordinary names in music: José Ramón Encinar, conductor and expert in contemporary repertoire whose baton led the BNO in its 2014 debut performance at the Venice Biennial; and flutist Roberto Fabbriciani, collaborator and close friend of Luis de Pablo, for whom the composer wrote this piece.

The third Concert Season programme will open in San Sebastián at the Kursaal on Friday, October 30th; in Vitoria at Teatro Principal on November 2nd; in Pamplona at the Baluarte on the 3rd; in Bilbao at the Euskalduna on the 4th, and will close in San Sebastián at the Kursaal on Thursday, November 5th.

After the final dress rehearsal, Luis de Pablo will meet with a group of students at the Kursaal on October 30th as part of "Topaketak", a programme designed in collaboration with Jakiunde, the Basque Academy of Science, Art and Letters.

Pensieri, Rhapsody for Flute and Orchestra was composed between 2013 and 2014. In the words of Luis de Pablo: "This work is the product of the friendship and admiration I have for the extraordinary flutist Roberto Fabbriciani, and his wife Luisella [Botteon], who had the patience to follow the composition step by step. Pensieri is a rhapsody, that is, a piece of freeform music which highlights virtuosity; it is important to highlight the technical and artistic skills of the instrumentalist to whom the piece is dedicated. The work is made up of four "Reflections": Secret, Solitary, Fleeting and Enigmatic." These titles might suggest a sense of melancholy. But, as Luis de Pablo explains: "I composed the piece as a celebration, not without a touch of humour and mystery - of which Roberto is a master." As for the title, he adds that "It is the soloist who ‘thinks' about a multicolour dialogue with the orchestra, who comments, in a thousand ways, about the vicissitudes of the ‘thinker'". Written for a large orchestra, the presence of different types of flutes is a constant (the soloist plays four: transverse flute, piccolo, alto flute and contrabass flute).

Since 1983, when the Basque National Orchestra first played a piece by Luis de Pablo, the two have crossed paths on several occasions. The current premiere follows Imromptus (1991) and Danzas secretas (2008), both of which were works specially commissioned by the Orchestra. The BNO has also performed De Pablo's work in other concerts, both as part of the Season Concert programme and at other venues (including the National Auditorium in Madrid and the Venice Biennial). In an effort to preserve the musical production of this international figure of avant-garde music, the Orchestra also dedicated one of the volumes in the Basque Composers Series (Claves, 2008) to De Pablo.

The Overture to Mozart's The Magic Flute and Manuel de Falla's Three Cornered Hat will round out the concert programme. The first is probably one of the best-known pieces in opera repertoire. The second is a ballet composed by Manuel de Falla for Serge Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes. On this occasion, the BNO is proud to introduce soprano Lola Casariego. Casariego will be taking the place of Raquel Lojendio, who for reasons beyond the Orchestra's control will not be performing in this concert series. This will be the first time the soprano from Oviedo to perform with the Basque National Orchestra in a Season Concert.