41. Main Evening Concert

I called this concert a walk on the wild side. Schubert’s Der Hirt auf den Felsen is dated a month before he died creating in us a sense of wonder that he could compose so joyful a work in such miserable circumstances. He wrote it for a soprano he admired, who claimed that the public only wanted treats for the ear, which is certainly what they get here. Ensemble MidtVest is a Danish wind quintet with an exciting repertoire. Music making in the forest by the Danish composer Jǿrgen Jersild could be described as a pastoral serenade with many treats for the ear, a light-hearted and cheerful preparation for the rigours of Winterreise. This is one of the greatest song cycles ever written, not a shred of false sentimentality in its concentrated, desolate emotional climate so it is no wonder that mezzo-sopranos have undertaken this journey normally the realm of the male voice. Fleur Barron and Julius Drake have travelled many times down this wild pathway to seek out the hurdy-gurdy man.