Orchestre Victor Hugo

The Orchestre Victor Hugo has conceived this programme under the dual banner of travel and dance, taking us from the southern United States to modern China, via the forests of Brazil and the colourful streets of Havana.

A child of the streets of New York, born of Russian immigrants and a self-taught genius, Gershwin opens this programme with Catfish Row, a symphonic suite he drew from his famous opera Porgy and Bess. Echoes of the blues, magnetic tunes and a dissonant fugue follow one another in these pages, which are answered by the complex Cuban Overture, composed in 1932 on his return from a stay in Havana: the rhythms and sensuality of the rumba mingle with the blues in an alchemy that only Gershwin knows the secret of. On to Mexico with Arturo Màrquez's Danzon No. 2, before heading to Brazil for Respighi's Two Impressions, shimmering watercolours evoking 'tropical nights' or the fascinating crawl of a snake. From Brazil to China, it's only a short step for John Adams with The Chairman Dances, derived from the opera Nixon in China and evoking Mao Tse-tung dancing a foxtrot with his mistress!