Messiaen Festival – ‘Into the Little Hill’ concert

To mark the Messiaen Festival, taking place from 25 July to 1 August, discover:

"Into the Little Hill": Georges Benjamin offers a reinterpretation with unsettling contemporary overtones. Without losing any of its poetic dimension, the work reveals an even more disturbing dark side.

To secure his re-election, a Minister gives in to public anger and promises to rid the city of rats. To this end, he strikes a deal with a mysterious stranger in exchange for a large sum of money. But once re-elected, he goes back on his word, triggering consequences as inexorable as they are terrifying…

The compact form of the chamber opera, in which two voices take on all the roles, lends the work a striking dramatic intensity, whilst preserving its clarity and narrative power.

Opening the programme, two pieces by George Benjamin highlight the qualities of the EIC’s soloists. Flight, for solo flute, draws its inspiration from the observation of birds, soaring effortlessly into the azure sky before diving steeply beyond the peaks of the Swiss Alps. Viola, Viola, written for two violas, explores a dialogue of shifting colours, where the timbres blend to evoke an orchestral texture, before separating into distinct and contrasting lines.

Ensemble intercontemporain:

George Benjamin, conductor – Jenny Daviet, soprano – Joanne Evans, mezzo-soprano – Sophie Cherrier, flute – Odile Auboin, viola – John Stulz, viola