Páll Palomares is the principal second violinist of the ISO and one of Iceland's foremost violinists, having performed numerous concerts and played solo with symphony orchestras across Europe. Páll, who himself has Spanish roots, performs Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole, a work with which he as a deeply personal connection. "This is the very first piece I played as a soloist, performing the first movement with the Symphony Orchestra in Murcia, Spain, when I was 11 years old. You never forget your first solo performance." Brimming with passion and joie de vivre, it is a work that allows the soloist to showcase both his artistry and virtuosic flair. "El Sombrero de Tres Picos," or "The Three-Cornered Hat," by Manuel de Falla was originally a ballet premiered in London in 1919. De Falla later transcribed the work into two delightful suites, heavily influenced by Spanish dances. The concert begins with Overture No. 2 by the French composer Louise Farrenc. Unlike many of her female contemporaries in the early 19th century, Farrenc had a successful career in music and was both a sought-after pianist and composer, in addition to holding a professorship at the Paris Conservatoire. Although she excelled in various forms of composition, she never wrote an opera. However, Overture No. 2 comes close, and easily measures up to the popular opera compositions of 19th-century France in its vigor, richness of ideas and creative joy. Program Louise Farrenc Overture no 2 Edouard Lalo Symphonie Espagnole Manuel de Falla El Sombrero de Tres Picos, suites no 1 and 2 Conductor Juanjo Mena Soloist Páll Palomares