The summer is slowly drawing to a close, but the memories of the beach and the sea linger in the memory. The first symphony concert of the new season on September 19 and 20 at 7.30 p.m. will bring them back to life with two depictions of the sea: While Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s “Hebrides Overture” depicts the North Sea waves lapping the Scottish archipelago under a gloomy sky, Claude Debussy’s three-part orchestral work “La mer” is imbued with the sun-drenched atmosphere of the Mediterranean. The plot of the opera “Gwendoline” is set on the English coast. In it, its composer Emmanuel Chabrier follows in the footsteps of Wagner’s music drama. At the center of the evening is Benjamin Britten’s violin concerto, which impressively reflects the threatening historical background of its creation in 1938/39, the uncertainty and the search for orientation in a time of disintegrating values. The soloist will be violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky, who is well known to Dessau audiences from previous performances. GMD Markus L. Frank will conduct the Anhalt Philharmonic Orchestra.

There will be a concert introduction in the foyer at 6.30 pm on both concert dates.