Czech weekend | Moravian Philharmonic | Szczecin (Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin) - tickets

Event description

ARTISTS:

Moravian Philharmonic Olomouc

Marek Kozák - piano

Zsolt Hamar – conductor

WORKS:

Karol Szymanowski - Concert Overture in E major op. 12

Antonín Dvořák - Piano Concerto in G minor op. 33

Bohuslav Martinů - Symphony No. 1 H. 289

Two orchestral works, besides the common denominator of the composers' nationality, also hide interesting stories of their struggles with music, its form, and inspiration. Both Dvořák and Martinů had to spend many hours with the scores, torn by many doubts and conflicting emotions. Even geniuses sometimes encounter Gordian knots.

The piano and orchestra concerto in G minor op. 33 is the only piano concerto by the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. I see that I cannot write a concerto for a virtuoso, so I must think about other things – this statement justifies many corrections, deletions, cuts, and additions made to the manuscript of the piano part. As a result, a surprising piece was created, in which the solo part is intertwined with the orchestral part, and not – as it always is – opposed to it. Nevertheless, it is extremely difficult to play – it has been described as "unplayable" or "written for two right hands." Since its premiere in 1878, various revisions and versions have been created to facilitate the preparation and performance of the work by soloists, which eventually met with enthusiasm from audiences worldwide.

For decades, Bohuslav Martinů resisted writing symphonies. In Europe, it was considered an outdated genre. Only after emigrating to the USA in 1941 did the composer realize that if he wanted to stand on the musical podium, he had to create a repertoire for the great American orchestras, for which performing symphonies was commonplace. Shortly thereafter, an order came from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, specializing in the newest music. The first part of the new symphony was created in Jamaica, the second and third in Vermont, and the last in Massachusetts. The work calls for lofty thoughts – Martinů wrote in the program book for the premiere. Undoubtedly, both works brought them much, both to the composers and performers.