Britten, Börtz and Poulenc

Soprano and Court Singer Elin Rombo is one of Sweden’s brightest stars on the international opera scene. A cherished guest at Konserthuset Stockholm, she now returns to the main stage – this time together with the visiting Västerås Sinfonietta under the baton of Chief Conductor Simon Crawford-Phillips.

She performs Benjamin Britten’s visionary and ecstatic Les illuminations, set to texts by Arthur Rimbaud – music that is in constant flux, shifting from French-tinged elegance to introspective reflection and outward drama. She also takes on French composer Ernest Chausson’s emotionally charged Chanson perpétuelle. Deep emotions are also at the heart of Swedish composer Daniel Börtz’s music – represented here by one of his Concerti grossi.

The concert opens with Britten’s Young Apollo, in which the solo piano leads with powerful, ascending gestures, supported by string orchestra and solo string quartet. It concludes with Poulenc’s Sinfonietta – a work that is both light-heartedly idyllic and brusque, with touches of Mozart and Tchaikovsky, though the final movement brings to mind a delightfully exuberant variety show.