BBC Philharmonic Orchestra: Bluebeard's Castle

This special performance by the BBC Philharmonic is a rare opportunity to hear Bartók’s gripping one-act opera, Bluebeard’s Castle, in an atmospheric concert hall staging with theatrical lighting. An impulsive young bride has turned her back on her family, only to uncover the gruesome truth about her new husband lurking behind every locked door of his imposing citadel. With sinister strings, strident winds and commanding brass, it’s both a compelling psychological drama and a masterpiece of orchestral scene painting. The spectacular opening of the fifth door, revealing both the vast expanse of Bluebeard’s realm and his overbearing power, remains one of the most spine-tingling moments in all music.

Two resonant pieces from the first half of the twentieth century form the prelude to Bartók’s opera. His compatriot, Zoltan Kodály, shared his deep interest in Hungarian folk song and sense of mission in preserving it. His 1933 Dances of Galánta recall the gypsy tunes that were used by Hussars in enlisting recruits for the Imperial wars of the 18th Century but are transformed spectacularly by Kodaly’s sparkling orchestration. D’un soir triste by the brilliant but tragically short-lived Lili Boulanger, inhabits a darker world, building from brooding harmonies into an intense and anguished climax before finally finding some peace in its closing pages.