NOSPR / Lawrence Foster / Andrei Korobeinikov - NOSPR

Lawrence Foster is an ambassador of the music of the Romanian composer George Enescu. This time he presents excerpts from the Suite No. 1 in C major, Op. 9. In both movements, we hear distinct influences from traditional folk music, particularly in the rhapsodic ‘Prélude à l’unisson’; the following ‘Menuet lent’ charms us with its elegance and songfulness.
For Brahms, serenades allowed him to gain experience of symphonic writing; he lacked the courage to compose his first symphony. Yet the Serenade in A major, Op. 16, written with an orchestral flair, stands out for its unusual colouring – there are no violins in the orchestra.
The road to the popularity that Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto in B flat minor, Op. 23 enjoys today was not straightforward. Regarded as unplayable, it was only thanks to the favour of Hans von Bülow that it came to prominence. Here, Russian emphasis combines with huge technical demands to create a tour de force for the pianist.

[Bartosz Witkowski, translated by John Comber]

Duration of the concert (including break): approx. 110 minutes