The Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo continued its summer season on Thursday, July 30, with a performance in the Cour d’Honneur of the Prince’s Palace, led by conductor Juraj Valčuha and featuring Japanese violinist Sayaka Shoji as soloist.
The evening’s programme brought together three major works from the 20th-century symphonic repertoire. It opened with Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to Candide, composed in 1956 for the operetta inspired by Voltaire’s satirical novella, a piece known for its bright energy, dynamic rhythms and prominent use of brass and percussion.
The concert’s centrepiece was Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47, widely regarded as one of the most demanding and celebrated works in the violin repertoire. Composed in 1904 and revised the following year, it remains the only concerto Sibelius ever wrote. The solo part was performed by Sayaka Shoji, a violinist recognised internationally for the depth and refinement of her musical interpretation, with the concerto’s blend of Nordic-inspired atmosphere and emotional intensity offering one of the evening’s defining moments.
The programme closed with a selection of excerpts from Serge Prokofiev’s Cinderella ballet suites, a score praised for its elegance, imaginative colour and orchestral finesse.
This performance marked the fourth of six concerts in this year’s Concerts at the Prince’s Palace series, following an appearance by conductor Charles Dutoit and pianist Martha Argerich on July 26. The series continues on August 2 with conductor Martin Rajna and pianist Zoltán Fejérvári performing works by Beethoven and Dvořák, before concluding on August 6 with Kazuki Yamada conducting alongside pianist Alexandre Kantorow in a programme dedicated to Liszt and Ravel, marking Yamada’s final appearance as the OPMC’s artistic director after ten years in the role.
Image courtesy of Direction de la Communication – Stéphane Danna