Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade

Marin Alsop conducts the Philharmonia at the Royal Festival Hall in London, performing Arturo Márquez's Danzón No.2 and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, plus the London premiere of Gabriela Ortiz's Cello Concerto with Alisa Weilerstein.

Broadcast live from the Royal Festival Hall in London, and presented by Ian Skelly.

Arturo Márquez: Danzón No.2
Gabriela Ortiz: Cello Concerto (Dzonot) (London premiere)

Interval

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

Philharmonia Orchestra
Alisa Weilerstein (cello)
Marin Alsop (conductor)

Marin Alsop conducts Arturo Márquez's Danzón No.2, which is known as ‘Mexico’s second national anthem’. Márquez himself described the work as 'music full of sensuality, which old Mexican people continue to dance with a touch of nostalgia.

The second work on tonight's programme is an exciting new cello concerto by the Philharmonia’s Featured Composer, the Mexican composer and educator Gabriela Ortiz. She wrote her cello concerto for tonight's soloist, Alisa Weilerstein, and it is inspired by the caves and underground rivers of the Yucatán peninsula. Its four movements, ‘Vertical Light’, ‘Eye of the Jaguar’, ‘Jade’ and ‘The Toh Bird’, pay homage to the remarkable and threatened ecosystem of the peninsula.

Ending tonight's Radio 3 in Concert, Marin Alsop and the Philharmonia perform Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, which tells the story of a clever bride, represented by a beguiling solo violin melody, who spins captivating tales of sailors and shipwrecks, princes and princesses, to keep her husband the Sultan under her spell for 1001 nights.

To listen on most smart speakers just say, "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".