1 OPENING CONCERT [SHIBE SCO MANZE]

Larsson: Pastoral Suite, Op.19
Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez
Schubert: Symphony No. 6 in C, D.589

Sean Shibe, guitar
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Andrew Manze, conductor

The SCO have appeared at every ENF, so who better to open this 20th Festival? Principal Guest Conductor Andrew Manze offers music telling of three very different places: rural Sweden, royal Spain and imperial Vienna. At its heart – perhaps the most famous piece ever written for guitar – Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. It was inspired by the palace and gardens as Rodrigo – blind from birth – experienced them: through touch, floral scents and the sounds of birdsong and fountains.

Guitarist Sean Shibe first came to ENF in 2012 shortly after winning the Gold Medal, First Prize, and String Prize at the prestigious Royal Overseas League Competition – a staggering achievement. Since then, his brilliant and thoughtful musicianship has taken him all over the world, winning a string of awards and the admiration of musicians and audiences alike. We are delighted to welcome him back for this concerto and a string of concerts on Saturday at which he will play lute and electric guitar as well as guitar.

Manze closes the concert with a joyful symphony with a poignant history. Schubert wrote it aged 21 and called it his ‘Great’ C Major. Nine years on he wrote another, which would be called ‘The Great’ C Major, but sadly the musicians found it impossible to play, so this earlier work was substituted and the later piece disappeared until decades after Schubert’s death.