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Stravinsky & Ravel

An evening dedicated to the exploration of storytelling through music, featuring the works of Stravinsky and Ravel. The concert begins with Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite, a vibrant reimagining of 18th-century Italian commedia dell’arte. Mezzo-soprano Susan Platts lends her exquisite voice to Ravel’s Shéhérazade, a mesmerizing evocation of the exotic tales of the Arabian Nights. The program also includes Stravinsky’s The Faun and the Shepherdess and Song of the Nightingale, each work showcasing his unparalleled ability to create musical narratives that capture the imagination. This concert promises a journey into the heart of musical fables, brought to life by the BPO’s artistic brilliance.
Program
JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano
STRAVINSKY Pulcinella Suite
I. Sinfonia
II. Serenata
III. Scherzino
IV. Tarantella
V. Toccata
VI. Gavotta con due variazioni
VII. Vivo
VIII. Minuetto
IX. Finale
RAVEL Shéhérazade
I. Asie (Asia)
II. La flûte enchantée (The Enchanted Flute)
III. L’indifférent (The Indifferent One)
INTERMISSION
STRAVINSKY The Faun and the Shepherdess, Op. 2
I. The Shepherdess
II. The Faun
III. The River
STRAVINSKY La chant du rossignol (The Song of the Nightingale)
I. Presto
II. Marche chinoise (Chinese March)
III. Chant du rossignol (Song of the Nightingale)
IV. Jeu du rossignol mécanique (The Mechanical Nightingale)
British-born Canadian mezzo-soprano Susan Platts brings a uniquely rich and wide-ranging voice to concert and recital repertoire for alto and mezzo-soprano, particularly esteemed for her performances of Gustav Mahler’s works. She is a Fellow of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, which gave her the opportunity to work closely with Jessye Norman.
Ms. Platts has performed at Covent Garden, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Teatro alla Scala, Teatro di San Carlo, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center, as well as with the Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Minnesota Orchestras, Orchestre de Paris, London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, the symphonies of Montreal, Toronto, Detroit, Milwaukee, Baltimore, and Houston, Les Violons du Roy, Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society, as well as the Los Angeles and St. Paul Chamber Orchestras.
She has collaborated with many of today’s leading conductors and soloists including John Adams, Marin Alsop, Roberto Abbado, Sir Andrew Davis, Ludovic Morlot, Leon Botstein, Josep Caballé-Domenech, Christoph Eschenbach, JoAnn Falletta, Jane Glover, Vladimir Jurowski, Jeffrey Kahane, Carlos Kalmar, Keith Lockhart, Kent Nagano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Sir Roger Norrington, Peter Oundjian, Itzhak Perlman, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Bramwell Tovey, Osmo Vänska, and Pinchas Zukerman. Ms. Platts has appeared on many distinguished art song series including Vocal Arts Society at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Ladies Morning Musical Club in Montreal, Aldeburgh Connection in Toronto, and both the Frick Collection and Lincoln Center “Art of the Song” series in New York City.
Ms. Platts’ recent opera highlights include Die Walküre with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at the Royal Opera House, John Adams’ Nixon in China with the BBC Symphony, as well as Britten’s Albert Herring (Pacific Opera, Vancouver Opera), Erda in Wagner’s Das Rheingold (Pacific Opera), and Bernstein’s A Quiet Place (Montreal Symphony Orchestra).
Ms. Platts’ discography includes a recent release on the NAXOS label of La Tragédie de Salomé (Florent Schmitt) with the BPO, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde (chamber version) also on NAXOS, Das Lied von der Erde (full version) for Fontec Records with the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the Smithsonian Chamber Players and Santa Fe Pro Musica for Dorian Records, Brahms Zwei Gesänge with Steven Dann and Lambert Orkis, and a solo disc of Lieder by Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, and Johannes Brahms on the ATMA label.
In 2021, she pursued her love of baking and wrote a cookbook, titled Aria Ready for Dessert? – A Musician Takes Center Stage in the Kitchen. She also started a food blog called “Baking, Bits & Bobs.”
This performance is sponsored by the
Constance Shepard Walsh Memorial Endowment Fund.
The BPO Coffee Concert Series is presented by
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