OFM · Berlioz, Debussy y Ravel

Berlioz, Debussy and Ravel, performed by the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra (OFM) at Teatro Cervantes in Málaga, on 8 and 9 April 2027 at 8pm, part of its 2026–27 subscription season. Conducted by José María Moreno, with Murcia-born violist Joaquín Riquelme, a member of the Berlin Philharmonic, as soloist.

An all-French programme. It opens with Hector Berlioz's Harold in Italy, Op. 16 (1834), a symphony with solo viola inspired by Lord Byron's poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. It grew out of a commission from Niccolò Paganini, who wanted a work to showcase his viola, but he turned it down for not being virtuosic enough. Years later, on hearing it, he was so moved that he gave Berlioz 20,000 francs. The viola embodies the melancholy traveller crossing mountains, pilgrim processions and a bandits' orgy.

The second half brings together two key works of Impressionism and the 20th century. Claude Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894), inspired by Mallarmé, with its famous flute solo, opened the door to modern music. And the programme closes with Maurice Ravel's Boléro (1928), written for the dancer Ida Rubinstein: a single melody repeated in a hypnotic crescendo until its final explosion, one of the most popular works in classical music.

Tickets from €10 (up to €43) at the Teatro Cervantes box office and through Unientradas.