Sorabji Organ Symphony No.1

As a proper manifesto of French romanticism, Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique marked the 19th century as much as Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring impacted the 20th. Composed in Paris − which at the time was a global crucible for artistic creation − these two masterpieces catapulted musical language into another dimension. On December 5th, 1830 the revolutionary work of 27-year-old Hector Berlioz deeply moved the musicians present in the small room of the old academy of music, among whom were Meyerbeer and Liszt, who were impressed by the extraordinary audacity of this piece presented just three years after Beethoven’s death.

With the release of his new album Exile, a reflection on exile with the Baltic Sea Orchestra, the iconoclast and prolific pioneer of the neo-classical movement confirms his status as one of the most ideologically committed artists out there. Melding classical and electronic music, physical and emotional worlds, he produces instrumental works of rare evocative power.

For over 60 years the Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich has amazed audiences all over the world with her wild, impulsive playing and her constant risk-taking, overcoming every technical difficulty by turning each of her performances into a fascinating journey.