Michael Francis conducts Shor and Mendelssohn — With Carmen Giannattasio

Alexey Shor’s ‘Crystal Palace’ ballet is based on a true story surrounding the historic figure of Empress Anna Ioannovna who, following her being angered by Prince Mikhail Alekseevich Golitsyn, forced the prince to become her court jester and to marry the maid Advotya in an ice palace she had commanded built to mark the Russian victory in the Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739). Shor’s major score includes a large orchestra and soprano voice, and has been significantly successful since its 2017 première in Valletta. The overture, marked by cheerful light-heartedness and energetic rhythmical patterns, was performed during the 40th Gramophone Classical Music Awards Ceremony in London, marking the first ever time that a contemporary composition was included in the festivities. The acclaimed singer of opera and oratorio, Carmen Giannattasio, is entrusted with the soprano part in Shor’s oeuvre, with Michael Francis conducting the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz. The concert comes to a thrilling close with Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 5 ("Reformation"), exultant and complex, brimming with allusions to liturgical music.

Photo: Carmen Giannattasio © Cory Weaver

With the support of the European Foundation for Support of Culture