91Èȱ¬

The 91Èȱ¬ Symphony Orchestra & 91Èȱ¬ Singers conducted by Martyn Brabbins in Berio's Sinfonia. Plus Maderna's Oboe Concerto No.3 with Nicholas Daniel, and music by Nono and Dallapiccola.

Imagine a symphony that takes everything a symphony has been and everything a symphony could be: an orchestral showpiece that’s simultaneously a protest, a celebration, and a postmodern prank from the heart of 1960s counterculture. Berio’s Sinfonia is the climax to a day-long immersion in the music of postwar Italy.

But as we’ve heard, it’s just part of a far bigger – and even more gripping – story. Brilliant sonic adventures by Dallapiccola, by former 91Èȱ¬ Symphony Orchestra guest conductor Bruno Maderna, and by the far-left maverick Luigi Nono pave the way to Berio’s modern classic: outsize creative personalities who set out to remake the world, and left a legacy of music that continues to outrage, astonish and enchant.

Recorded at the Barbican Hall, London on 5th May 2024 as part of the 91Èȱ¬ Symphony Orchestra's Total Immersion Italian Radicals day.
Presented by Andrew McGregor

Luigi Dallapiccola: Three Questions With Two Answers
Luigi Nono: Canti de vita e amore*
Bruno Maderna: Oboe Concerto No. 3+

Interval: Andrew McGregor talks to Harriet Boyd-Bennett of the University of Nottingham and Jonathan Cross of the University of Oxford about the cultural, political and musical environment that produced these radical composers.

Luciano Berio: Sequenza 9c for bass clarinet solo**
Luciano Berio: Sinfonia ++

Anna Dennis (soprano)*
John Findon (tenor)*
Nicholas Daniel (oboe)+
Tom Lessels (bass clarinet) **
91Èȱ¬ Singers++
91Èȱ¬ Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins (conductor)