MOZART – REINECKE – DVORAK

The solemn and graceful overture to La clemenza di Tito by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) gently guides the listener toward the themes that appear later in the concert. The world premiere of the hastily written The Clemency of Titus took place during the coronation festivities of Leopold II as King of Bohemia, held in Prague just a few months before the composer’s death.

Next, we will hear one of the final works of the German composer Carl Reinecke (1824–1910), who was also regarded as an outstanding interpreter of Mozart’s piano works. Reinecke frequently turned to the works of the Viennese master – as well as to those of other composers of the past – in his conducting career. In his own compositions, however, he adhered to classical models, paying particular attention to the elegance of form and the beauty of melody. An excellent example of this approach is one of the composer’s last works – the Flute Concerto in D major, Op. 283. Completed in 1908, it was premiered in 1909 by the dedicatee, the outstanding flutist Maximilian Schwedler. The first movement, captivating in its lightness, is followed by a poignant, pain-filled Lento, which leads to a lively and refined virtuosic finale.

Niespotykana inwencja melodyczna wyróżniała czołowego czeskiego kompozytora Antonína Dvořáka (1841-1904), którego Symfonia nr 8 wypełni swym wyrafinowanym brzmieniem drugą część koncertu. Obdarzony muzycznym talentem syn rzeźnika z małej miejscowości Nelahozeves nieopodal Pragi, osiągnął międzynarodowe uznanie. Podobnie jak Ludwig van Beethoven, pozostawił po sobie dziewięć symfonii. Przedostatnia z nich zachowuje tradycyjną czteroczęściową strukturę, jednak wewnętrzna budowa poszczególnych ustępów zaskakuje doborem nieoczywistych rozwiązań, zwłaszcza w finale, łączącym w sobie cechy wariacji, formy rondowej i sonatowej. Potoczysta narracja, różnorodność motywów, doskonałe wyczucie możliwości kolorystycznych orkiestry i z ducha czeska atmosfera składają się na pełną ekspresji poetycką całość.

Extraordinary melodic invention distinguished the leading Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904), whose Symphony No. 8 will fill the second part of the concert with its refined sound. The musically gifted son of a butcher from the small town of Nelahozeves near Prague achieved international recognition. Like Ludwig van Beethoven, he left behind nine symphonies. The penultimate of them retains the traditional four-movement structure; however, the internal design of the individual sections surprises with its selection of unexpected solutions, especially in the finale, which combines elements of variation, rondo, and sonata form. A flowing narrative, a rich variety of motifs, a refined sense of orchestral color, and a distinctly Czech atmosphere come together to create a poetic and expressive whole.

Marta Dziewanowska-Pachowska

PROGRAM

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) – Overture to the opera La clemenza di Tito

Carl Reinecke (1824–1910) – Flute Concerto in D major, Op. 283

Allegro molto moderato
Lento e mesto
Finale: Moderato – Allegro molto

—– intermission —–

Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) – Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88

Allegro con brio
Adagio
Allegretto grazioso 
Allegro ma non troppo

PERFORMERS

ŁUKASZ DŁUGOSZ FLUTE

THE ORCHESTRA OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA

SZYMON MORUS CONDUCTOR

Duration: approx. 1h 40 mins (with an intermission)