The University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra: Scheherazade

Based on The Arabian Nights, this story begins with Scheherazade’s marriage to Sultan Schakhriar (known for having executed all of his previous wives, the day after each wedding).

Being the executioner’s daughter and in an attempt to save her own life, Scheherazade begins telling the Sultan extended fairy tales – each one with a climactic cliff-hanger. Desperate to hear the conclusion, the Sultan permits her to live for just one more day. The next evening, she concludes the story but then immediately begins another, even more fantastical than the last! For 1001 nights this continues, until the Sultan realises that he cannot live without her. In Rimsky-Korsakoff’s telling of this story, the concertmaster takes on the role of Scheherazade and the trombones depict the Sultan. 

The University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will open the concert with the Victorian Premiere of Miriama Young’s Kinds of Blue.  Written with Scheherazade in mind, this work draws inspiration from: four of Mark Rothko’s blue-centric works; Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue and Sketches of Spain and filmmaker, Derek Jarman’s Chroma. The piece is written from a synaesthetic perspective and is structurally based on the tension between the deep blue of E major and light sky blue of F# minor, exploring the duality of these two colours, as expressed in the works of Rimsky-Korsakov (who was a synesthete – seeing specific colours when hearing music).

Just before the interval the ensemble will be fusing jazz and classical music with the Cyber Bird Concerto, written in 1994 by Japanese composer Takashi Yoshimatsu. This work is strictly a triple concerto and places a jazz trio of saxophone, piano and percussion at the front of the stage. In this performance, Melbourne Conservatorium 2022 Concerto/Aria Competition winner Justinn Lu will be the saxophone soloist. 

Sunday 18 August 5:00 PM; Running Time 1 hour 45 minutes (including 20 minute interval)
Arts Centre Melbourne,Hamer Hall
TICKETS: Free limit of two per person