On the 19th of February 2022 at 7 p.m. Sinfonia Iuventus together with conductor Marek Pijarowski will perform in the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio. The soloists will be internationally awarded musicians: Aleksandra Kuls – violin and Katarzyna Budnik – viola. Programme consists of works by Carl Maria von Weber, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonín Dvořák.
Sinfonia concertante in E flat major for violin and viola by Mozart was written at the end of the composer’s youth in Salzburg. The title itself indicates a genre that combines the features of a symphony and a concerto, though here elements of the latter dominate. The two instruments engage in a lively dialogue and the entire work is brimming with a cheerful and carefree mood.
The opera (or rather the extensive singspiel with spoken dialogues) Der Freischütz by Carl Maria von Weber which premiered in 1821 was destined to become a milestone in the history of music, lending theatrical and musical expression to many features of young Romanticism.
Shortly after his 50th birthday, Antonín Dvořák accepted an invitation from the USA to lead the conservatory in New York. Symphony No. 9 in E minor Op. 95 is one of his ‘New York’ compositions. The author admitted that he avoided direct citations, but had only tried to convey the spirit of America and its “endless landscapes” using a few references, including to the characteristic rhythmic and melodic gestures and scales of African-American and indigenous music. Even the title – From the New World – which was added at the last moment before the premier, indicates that the symphony was “written in America” rather than a “presentation of America”.
Piotr Maculewicz
Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.