Kazushi Ono - Anno 1905 at La Monnaie

1905 was a very exciting year. Not only did Einstein publish his special theory of relativity, but three exceptional masterpieces were also composed or first performed: Strauss’ Salome, Schoenberg’s Pelleas und Melisande and Debussy’s La Mer. In Salome, Strauss tapped into new sound material and brought the music to the edge of tonality. It was not Strauss but Schoenberg who took that final step into atonality some years later; Pelleas und Melisande is another of his late Romantic works, but it already anticipates the changes that lie ahead. At the same time, in France, Claude Debussy was treading very different paths, but he too shifted the boundaries of the musical sound culture with his symphonic poem La Mer. In this fascinating programme – which is a snapshot of 1905 – Kazushi Ono will return to La Monnaie as guest conductor.