Respighi: Gli Uccelli (The Birds)
Marcello Bonanno: in quella parte del libro della mia memoria (‘In that part of the book of my memory’)
Mozart: Symphony No.41 Jupiter

Conductor: Michael Collins
Clarinet: Francesco Paolo Scola

This is a concert packed full of compositional fireworks and innovative creativity, ranging from one of the first pinnacles of symphonic writing right up to the modern day and the world premiere of a concerto written specially for this concert.

Respighi was a master of imitating nature in his writing, a skill and flair that rightly place pieces such as The Pines of Rome among the best-loved in his output. Gli Uccelli (‘The Birds’) is a tone poem that depicts doves, hens, nightingales and cuckoos in a wonderful musical aviary that takes flight and soars with elegance and charm.

Composer Marcello Bonanno studied in Palermo alongside Ulster Orchestra Principal Clarinet Francesco Paolo Scola (who celebrated 10 years with the Ulster Orchestra in 2020) and tonight marks the fulfilment of Marcello’s wish to write a concerto for Francesco, held since their college days – a fine celebration of a friendship! Fittingly for a work inspired by a long friendship, the work takes the title in quella parte del libro della mia memoria (‘In that part of the book of my memory’), which comes from Dante’s text ‘Vita Nova’ and it explores the elusiveness and nuance of fragments of memory. The work also draws inspiration from another of Dante's works, with each movement of the concerto refelecting in turn the Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise of The Divine Comedy.

The concert finishes with Mozart’s final symphony, nicknamed Jupiter. It’s his most complex and innovative symphony, which weaves together the strands of all he has learnt and presents this with absolute brilliance, meaning that this work rightly sits as one of the high points and masterpieces of symphonic writing. From the vast emotional impact of the opening movement through to that astonishing masterclass of counterpoint in the finale, this is a work that tells you everything about what Mozart achieved in his short life and offers a tantalising glimpse of what might have come in the future.

This concert will last approximately one hour and will be available for streaming for 30 days after the event.