Pre-eminent German viola virtuoso Diemut Poppen will join the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra (RBSO) during the "Poppen Plays Bartok Viola Concerto" concert at the Main Hall of Thailand Cultural Centre, Ratchadaphisek Road, on March 17 at 8pm.
A rare treat for classical music connoisseurs, the concert will open with Mozart's light-hearted overture from Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail, K 384 and conclude with Dvorak's magnificent Symphony No.9 In E Minor, Op 95 (From The New World).
The highlight, as suggested by the concert title, will be Bartok's Viola Concerto, an especially intriguing modern masterpiece left unfinished when the composer died in 1945. This ultimately resulted in different completed versions. The one presented on the programme is considered to be the most faithful to the composer's intentions -- a revised edition by Bartok's own son Peter Bartok and Nelson Dellamaggiore.
It will be performed by Poppen, one of the finest viola players of her generation. A key member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, she also succeeded the legendary Nobuko Imai in her position at the world-renowned Detmold School of Music.
Poppen regularly serves as jury member at prestigious international competitions such as the ARD International Music Competition in Munich. She is currently director of the Chamber Music Summer Academy in Turingen.
The concert will see the return of Belgian maestro Michel Tilkin to conduct the RBSO for the first time this season. He has previously directed many quite brilliant and memorable concerts with the orchestra in recent years.
Tickets cost 300, 700, 900, 1,200 and 1,500 baht and can be purchased from Thai Ticket Major (visit www.thaiticketmajor.com or call 02-262-3456).
