NOSPR / Hron / Pictures from the Heart of Europe - NOSPR

Rooted in the rich folk traditions of Central Europe, this vibrant programme of Bartók and Kodály captures the region’s lyrical voice and fiery energy, permeated with the unmistakable vigour of the Carpathians. That liveliness is tempered by a more pastoral tone in Suita rustica (Rustic Suite) by the Czech composer Vítězslava Kaprálová, also associated with France.

In Magyar képek (Hungarian Pictures), a remarkably colourful work, Bartók depicts evocative everyday scenes, including even the motif of a dancing bear.

Vítězslava Kaprálová, while still relatively unknown in Poland, remains an important figure in Czechia, often hailed as the first Czech female composer. A student under her distinguished compatriot Bohuslav Martinů in Paris, Kaprálová  wrote music that draws on Hungarian motifs and her mentor’s influence but also contains echoes of military sounds – an allusion, perhaps, to the martial associations of her surname.

Zoltán Kodály spent several years in Galanta, a region in Trnava County (the present-day Slovakia). His Galántai táncok (Dances of Galánta) celebrate the musical character of this picturesque land. The Dances will conclude this colourful evening by blending the Central European melancholy and song with the sweeping grandeur of the symphonic orchestra.

Krzysztof Siwoń