Festival Dag in de Branding kicks off on Friday evening with a world premiere for a large orchestra by Max Knigge. He composed Eliza May specifically for the Residentie Orkest. In addition, the orchestra will perform Grieg’s well known piano concerto, featuring Antti Siirala as the soloist, as well as the rarely performed Sixth Symphony by Shostakovich. The conductor for the evening is Daniel Raiskin.
Max Knigge is one of the most promising composers of his generation. His work has previously been featured at Dag in de Branding, but never on such a grand scale. Eliza May is named after the protagonist of Het lied van ooievaar en dromedaris by Anjet Daanje, one of the biggest literary successes in recent years. Knigge has set several scenes from the novel to music. He explains, “I was completely captivated by the mysterious and fascinating world surrounding the character Eliza May Drayden. I’m still immersed in it, and I’m trying to capture its colors, mysteries, characters, and motifs in music.”
Grieg composed his only piano concerto at the age of twenty-four, taking Schumann’s piano concerto as his model. The piece opens with a swelling timpani roll, followed by a descending octaves motif played by the soloist. At times, Grieg’s concerto demands listeners to buckle up, yet its true strength lies in its lyrical and introspective passages.
Speaking of lyricism, Shostakovich’s Sixth Symphony begins with a grand and expansive Largo, charged with underlying tension. Harmonically, it echoes Mussorgsky, while its form immediately recalls Mahler. The subsequent Allegro and Presto movements are relatively short, giving this unconventional symphony the feel of one great crescendo.