'The Imagined Forest' Italian Premiere, MiTo SettembreMusica

Grace-Evangeline Mason with the Philharmonia Orchestra on the Auditorium Giovanni Agnelli stage

In September, MiTo SettembreMusica, the international music festival that has brought the cities of Milano and Torino together for grand annual showcases of musical events since 2007, featured 116 concerts with world renowned international guests where performances are hosted in some of the most spectacular locations.

The festival opened in Lingotto, Torino last week on September 5th with a concert at the Auditorium Giovanni Agnelli, performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra under conductor, John Axelrod with the Italian Premiere of Grace-Evangeline Mason’s The Imagined Forest, followed by Grieg and Rimsky-Korsakov.

The concert was then repeated for Milanese audiences the following day at the world-renowned Teatro alla Scala, which you can read about here.

A great big thank you to Artistic Director Nicola Campogrande, everyone at MiTo SettembreMusica, Auditorium Giovanni Agnelli, Teatro alla Scala, and of course to John Axelrod and the Philharmonia Orchestra for bringing The Imagined Forest to Italy to be a part of such a wonderful festival and concert, and to the audiences for their enthusiastic listening! It was a joy to witness the music.

You can also learn more about The Imagined Forest here.

..efficacemente portato in primo piano il vivido intreccio delle rapide trame melodiche, interrotte da fugaci interiezioni nelle quali si percepisce la florida energia di una foresta che, da luogo raffigurato in tutta la sua molteplicità, si trasfigura in spazio dell’anima. Già in questo brano – della durata di poco superiore ai dieci minuti – gli ascoltatori hanno potuto ammirare la straordinaria trasparenza di colori e l’omogeneità sonora delle sezioni della Philharmonia Orchestra”

”..effectively brought to the fore the vivid intertwining of rapid melodic plots, interrupted by fleeting interjections in which the flourishing energy of a forest is perceived which, from a place depicted in all its multiplicity, is transfigured into the space of ‘soul. Already in this piece - lasting just over ten minutes - listeners were able to admire the extraordinary transparency of colors and the sonic homogeneity of the sections of the Philharmonia Orchestra
— Lodovico Buscatti, OperaClick