Folk Songs by Gerhard
By Charlotte Stace
Robert Gerhard i Ottenwaelder is one of the most significant 20th century European composers. The Chamber Season’s first concert at L'Auditori on Thursday 14th October is part of the collective celebration of the 50th anniversary of his death and the 125th anniversary of his birth.
A group of leading Catalan performers will participate in the performances of three major works based on texts with popular roots from Gerhard’s vocal repertoire. The songs display Gerhard’s most concise and formalistic pieces, but also his most lyrical and exuberant ones.
The music performed will feature: The Vuit Cançons Populars Catalanes (Eight Catalan Folk Songs), dedicated to the soprano Conxita Badia and Gerhard; The Six Chansons Populaires Françaises (Six French Folk Songs), which date back to Gerhard’s British era; and the 7 Haiku which is inspired by the poems - in Catalan and French - of the avant-garde icon, Josep Maria Junoy.