New Symphony Orchestra 266th Concert

　At the first performance in Paris, the bassoon solo in the very high register at the beginning of the piece caused laughter. The audience continued to make a fuss over the strong rhythms and clashing chords, and the performance could not go on. The theater manager turned on the lights in an attempt to restore order. Even so, the year before the outbreak of World War II in Europe, the times were changing drastically. In fact, even at that time, the production was not all critical, and praise for the work, including the art and choreography, became conspicuous only a short time later. In any case, the "shock" was so great that people were puzzled, but there must have been a great deal of excitement in witnessing the art that marked a new era.

　The first half of the concert consisted of two pieces by Honegger. The first half consists of two pieces by Honegger: "Summer Pastoral," a fine piece by the 28-year old, depicting the clean and clear atmosphere of the village of Wengen, which is close to his parents' hometown, the Jungfrau. The other is Symphony No. 3, titled "Liturgical Style. After the end of World War I, the Treaty of Non-War in Paris, which was born out of the bitterness of the war, came to nothing, and with the invasion of Poland by Germany, a world war of even greater scale began. How did the author feel when he wrote this "Requiem Liturgy" in the face of the cruel consequences of the greatest barbaric act of all? Eighty years have passed since the end of the war, and people today tend to forget, but the current world situation still does not allow it.