NOSPR / Foster / Widmann

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Symphonic concerts

Thursday

18.01.202419:30

Concert Hall

Seats

Conductor

Lawrence Foster

Performers

NOSPR

Carolin Widmann – violin

Program

George Enescu

‘Prélude à l’unisson’ and ‘Menuet lent’ from Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C major, Op. 9

Alban Berg

Violin Concerto ‘To the Memory of an Angel’

Antonín Dvořák

Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88

Enescu’s Orchestral Suite No. 1 – particularly its prelude and menuet – was allegedly Zoltán Kodály’s favourite didactic piece. The music is undoubtedly an intriguing mixture of Wagnerian, neoclassical, and folkloristic influences. Berg’s Violin Concerto dedicated to “the memory of an angel”, in turn, shows straightforward references to Bach’s legacy. These lie not only in the quote from the Es ist genug chorale, but also in the masterful structure of the whole piece, a refined mixture of dodecaphonic technique with traditional tonality, resulting in the most beautiful sound among Berg’s scores. The most beautiful one of Dvořák’s symphonies is... the Eighth! A heresy? After all, many melomaniacs would shed blood for the Ninth. Yet, the Symphony No. 8 is more interesting in multiple ways. The great Czech melodist is telling his tale here in a most colourful manner, richly inlaid with ever-new ideas, with each movement leaving an indelible impression on the listeners.

Piotr Matwiejczuk

Concert duration: approximately 100 minutes