This concert brings together three major works that bear witness to the richness of musical creativity at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Schoenberg’s *Transfigured Night opens the evening with a work of remarkable expressive intensity. Long before his most radical experiments, the composer displays a musical language still rooted in Romanticism, driven by sweeping melodic lines and constant dramatic tension. Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun then offers a striking contrast. Famous for its flute opening, the work captivates with the richness of its orchestral colours and its extraordinary fluidity. In it, Debussy creates music that seems to be constantly transforming, opening up new horizons for a whole generation of composers. Finally, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition take the listener on a journey through a succession of scenes that are by turns majestic, picturesque, mysterious and spectacular.
This journey allows the listener to discover three very different worlds, yet linked by a shared desire for musical evocation and storytelling. Combining emotion, sonic invention and the power of the imagery suggested by the music, this concert offers the audience a rich and accessible experience, driven by three essential masterpieces of the repertoire.
A chamber music ensemble from the HEM, the HEMisphère is led by a panel of lecturers – all concert musicians with international careers – who share the stage with brilliant students, selected through auditions.
This project is spearheaded in particular by our new lecturers Sébastian Jacot (flute), Noémie Bialobroda (viola) and Hélène Clément (viola). Beyond the richness of the repertoire on offer, this initiative—which brings our students and their teachers together on stage—provides the former with a particularly enriching and inspiring experience, and the latter with a renewed way of passing on their knowledge.