Dvořák's Symphony No. 5 

In Falling, Calliope Tsoupaki – former composer-in-residence of the Netherlands and a familiar face at the Residentie Orkest – explores how we search for meaning in a world that has become unstable. Compact at just thirteen minutes, the piece is nevertheless intense and full of motion. Mahler then draws the focus inward with one of his most celebrated song cycles, the Rückert Lieder: five miniature mirrors reflecting longing, calm, self-exploration and wistfulness, all without melodrama. Barbara Kozelj makes the songs almost tangible with her warm, resonant mezzo voice. 

In Thin Air, Tsoupaki’s second work of the evening, we return to a piece born of compassion and solidarity. Originally written during the pandemic, and given its orchestral premiere by the Residentie Orkest, it feels so timeless that it perhaps resonates even more powerfully today. Dvořák’s captivating Symphony No. 5 concludes the evening not with spectacle, but with sunlight: warm-blooded, playful and dancing. A symphony that smells of grass, earth, sun and evening air. This is Dvořák at his most open, most free and most blissful. Conductor Antony Hermus weaves Tsoupaki’s airy soundscapes and Dvořák’s earthy warmth together into a remarkable programme.