Le bourgeois gentilhomme (1911-1917) is an orchestral suite composed by Richard Strauss, based on Molière’s 1670 play of the same name. The satirical style of Molière’s writing shines through the music, reflecting a graceful Baroque-inspired character and a lighthearted, pompous undertone. 

Commissioned by the Proms in 2017 for the Chineke! Orchestra—the UK’s first black and ethnic minority orchestra—The Spark Catchers likewise finds its inspiration in literature, this time in Lemn Sissay’s homonymous poem. Off-beat chords flash with incisive rhythms and coloristic harmonies, effectively mirroring the swift actions of the poem’s Matchwomen in this dynamic, fiercely bright work by acclaimed contemporary composer Kendall. 

The program draws to a dramatic conclusion with Bartók’s spirited Dance Suite (1923), composed for the 50th anniversary of the union of Hungarian cities Buda and Pest. Its five movements — a synthesis of national folk and ballet themes — are bound by a lyrical ritornello. Listen out for the dance-like motif first introduced in the bassoon (1:06:20), and then promptly echoed by the clarinet and the rest of the orchestra, exemplifying Bartók’s orchestral writing in all its splendor!