British conductor Alexander Soddy will direct the Orchestra of Santa Cecilia in a three‑day series featuring works by Francis Poulenc, Sergei Prokofiev and Paul Dukas at Rome’s Auditorium Parco della Musica on November 5, 6 and 7.
Program details
The concert series will open with Poulenc’s Concert champêtre, followed by Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 on the second night. The finale will present Dukas’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice alongside selected orchestral pieces by the three composers.
About the conductor and venue
Alexander Soddy, a native of the United Kingdom, has built a reputation for interpreting 20th‑century repertoire. He previously held guest conducting positions with several European ensembles and was appointed principal guest conductor of the London Contemporary Orchestra in 2022.
The Orchestra of Santa Cecilia, one of Italy’s oldest musical institutions, performs regularly at the state‑of‑the‑art Auditorium Parco della Musica, a complex designed by Renzo Piano that hosts classical, jazz and pop events.
Context for the repertoire
Francis Poulenc, a member of France’s Les Six, is known for blending neoclassical clarity with lyrical warmth. Sergei Prokofiev’s early symphonies marked his emergence as a modernist voice, while Paul Dukas is celebrated for his orchestral tone poems, most famously “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” which gained renewed attention after recent film soundtracks.
By pairing these composers, Soddy aims to highlight the evolution of early‑to‑mid‑20th‑century orchestral writing, showcasing contrasting styles within a single program.
Ticketing and attendance
Tickets are available through the Auditorium Parco della Musica box office and online platforms. Seating is expected to fill quickly, given the popularity of both the venue and the featured repertoire.
Why it matters: The concerts bring a prominent British conductor to one of Italy’s flagship orchestras, offering audiences in Rome a rare opportunity to hear lesser‑performed works by Poulenc, Prokofiev and Dukas under a unified artistic vision.