The Palace Rhapsody

Written when he was a 25-year-old student at the Sibelius Academy, Rautavaara’s A Requiem in our Time won such praise that it prompted none other than Jean Sibelius himself to recommend him for a scholarship to Julliard. Ron Nelson’s Resonances I embraces chance and spontaneity, while Aulis Sallinen’s Palace Rhapsody weaves neo-Romantic lyricism into modern soundscapes.

The concert culminates with Friedrich Gulda’s rollicking Cello Concerto, scored for a Mozartian wind ensemble fused with a jazz rhythm trio, blending classical virtuosity with playful unpredictability. The concerto alternates seamlessly between “jazz, a minuet, rock, a smidgen of polka, a march, and a cadenza with two spots where the star cellist must improvise.” And the star: SSO’s very own cellist Jamshid Saydikarimov.

Featuring

Ivan Meylemans, conductor
Jamshid Saydikarimov, cello*
Winds and Percussion of the SSO

Programme

Resonances I – Ron Nelson. arr. Meylemans (Singapore Premiere)
A Requiem in Our Time, Op. 3 – Einojuhani Rautavaara (Singapore Premiere)
The Palace Rhapsody – Aulis Sallinen (Singapore Premiere)
Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra, Op. 129* – Friedrich Gulda