Concert programme 2025
"About fear and hope"
Fear and hope, two contrasting but also complementary emotions, are the guiding themes of the SSWO Tour 2025. They are more relevant than ever in an age full of conflict, tension, upheaval and change. At the same time, the interplay of both emotions is essential to drive change. Fear, an unspecific, diffuse feeling that acts as a brake on development, stands in contrast to hope, which drives change and leads to progress.
Fear and hope traditionally play a major role in music too. Music as a projection surface for emotions can not only represent feelings, but also specifically reinforce their perception in the listener. In addition, music has also been shown to alleviate pain, anxiety and fear on a pathophysiological level.
Commissioned work 2025
This year's SSWO commission goes to the Ticino composer and conductor Franco Cesarini (*1961), whose works impress with their melodic beauty, technical sophistication and profound expressiveness. Cesarini manages to compose music that is both artistically sophisticated and accessible to a wide audience. He combines classical influences with modern sounds and often integrates elements from the wind music tradition, which makes his style unmistakable. For his SSWO composition, Cesarini draws inspiration from his home country and his many years of experience as a conductor and composer for wind orchestras. ‘Switzerland is where my musical journey began, but the many encounters with international orchestras and composers have always enriched my music,’ explains Cesarini.
«Winds of Hope» – an Overture for Wind Orchestra Op. 64
Premiere 2025
Franco Cesarini (*1961)
Winds of Hope
The guiding theme of hope is a highlight at the beginning of this year's concert programme. Commissioned by the Swiss Symphonic Wind Orchestra, the well-known Swiss composer Franco Cesarini (*1961) has written an overture entitled ‘Winds of Hope’, referencing the well-known Seneca quote ‘We cannot change the wind, but we can change the sails’. Born in Bellinzona, Cesarini turned to conducting and composition while studying music, majoring in flute. He published his first compositions as early as 1985 and began collaborating with the Dutch publishing house De Haske in 1989. Cesarini is known for his impressive original repertoire for wind orchestra. He has also held several professorships at various conservatories and is a much sought-after guest conductor abroad.
Cesarini comments as follows about the overture being composed and commissioned for the SSWO: ‘The wind is an untamable, intangible force, but those who know how to listen to it and follow its flow can transform it into energy to move forward. ‘Winds of Hope’ is an overture for wind orchestra that celebrates this life-affirming impulse - the ability to look beyond the horizon and find a way even in difficult times. The musical journey begins with a lyrical, airy theme that promises renewal and hope like a gentle breeze. The music then unfolds in rhythmic, luminous pulses in which the wind gains strength, full of energy and determination. In the middle section, the lyrical and expressive character returns, like a deep breath that brings calm and reflection. The finale finally culminates in a rousing waltz rhythm that transports the listener like an enchanted carousel into a whirlpool of light and movement. ‘Winds of Hope’ is a hymn to inner strength and the will to embark on life's journey with courage, to be guided by the winds of hope.’
Suite from «Star Wars: The Force Awakens»
John Williams (*1932), arr. Paul Lavender
I. March of the Resistance
II. Rey’s Theme
III. Scherzo for X-Wings
IV. Jedi Steps and Finale
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The ‘Suite from Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ by the well-known film music composer John Williams (*1932) takes the exploration of hope and fear to a visually stunning level. The four-movement suite, arranged by Paul Lavender for the US Marine Band, combines the familiar and pompous musical elements of the Star Wars world with new, original themes from ‘The Force Awakens’. After the familiar sounds of the opening credits from the film, the ‘March of the Resistance’ is heard, followed by the theme of the new main character in the episode, Rey (‘Rey's Theme’). In the ‘Scherzo for X-Wings’, the martial battle scenes between the fighters of the Resistance and the First Order are evoked until the final movement (‘Jedi Steps and Finale’) unites the Jedi motif and all the other main themes into a colossal tapestry of sound. The impressive music by John Williams makes the way the characters deal with change and major transformations, the fear and hope of entire worlds, both recognisable and tangible for the listener.
Break
Symphony No. 2 d-moll «Von der Angst unserer Zeit»
Thomas Trachsel (*1972)
Bettina Weder, Mezzosopran
I. Requiem aeternam
II. Dies irae
III. Klagelied einer Mutter
IV. Lux aeterna
Symphony No. 2 in D minor
The second main work of the concert, Symphony No. 2 in D minor ‘Von der Angst unserer Zeit’ by Thomas Trachsel (*1972), closes the loop to the fear (and hope) of our present day. The musical language of the Olten-born freelance composer is based on late Romantic traditions and contemporary elements. His work is characterised by melancholic themes, great arcs of tension and powerful outbursts of sound.
Symphony No. 2 was composed on the occasion of the birth of Trachsel's daughter. Contrary to the expectations of those around him, it is sombre in tone and dominated by darkness, particularly in the first movement (‘Requiem aeternam’). Consistent with this, two main themes run through the work: fate and fear. Trachsel himself explains the genesis of his second symphony as follows: ‘The birth of my daughter had blessed me with incredible luck and subjected me to an almost overflowing admiration for this miracle. At the same time, however, fears arose in me that I could not or was not allowed to suppress. This feeling that arose from realising the responsibility I had received towards a child also filled me with an awareness of the circumstances that the survival of an existence in this sometimes very difficult world would entail.’
But even if the third movement of the symphony heralds loss (‘A mother's lament’), uncertainty and sadness, the final movement gives rise to hope. Hope for an eternal light, hope for a change for the better.