In 2014 Betsy Jolas met Sir Simon Rattle at a dinner in London. The encounter was auspicious. It led to a commission for the Berlin Philharmonic, A Little Summer Suite, and marked the beginning of what has been dubbed Jolas’ ‘Indian Summer’, a period of striking productivity and overdue celebrity.
Now 96, Jolas insists that tonight’s world premiere Ces belles années… will be her last symphonic work. But though its title (Those good years) suggests a general harking back, perhaps in the manner of Strauss’ Four Last Songs, the inspiration is more specific. Co-commissioned with the Aix-en-Provence Festival, which turns 75 this month, the piece is an anniversary celebration, and its titular ‘good years’ refer to Jolas’ own memories of attending …
Read the full programme note and profile on the London Symphony Orchestra website