World première of Frank Martin's Ballade No. 2

Turin

In the purely instrumental work of Frank Martin, ballades play an important role. Almost all the ballades were written for a particular solo instrument and then orchestrated. In mid-2008, Maria Martin found a previously unnoticed handwritten manuscript by Frank Martin, entitled Deuxième Ballade for flute and piano or flute, string orchestra, piano and percussion. This was the composer’s own arrangement of the Ballade for saxophone and string orchestra, piano and percussion, which he had composed for Sigurd Rascher in 1938.

The première of the Ballade No. 2, probably arranged for string orchestra towards the end of the 1930s, has now been scheduled: the Orchestra Nazionale Sinfonica della RAI Torino will perform on 19 Nov in Turin under Marco Angius, with Mario Caroli (flute) and Giuseppe La Licata (piano).