Concise in form and subtle in sonority, Maurice Ravel’s Fanfare is part of the collaborative ballet L’éventail de Jeanne of 1927. Ravel was entrusted with composing the introduction, which he treated as a kind of playful orchestral experiment. As Roland-Manuel, a scholar of Ravel’s work, noted – somewhat humorously, yet with striking accuracy – the opening of this “Lilliputian” fanfare seems to imitate the buzzing of insects, while its climax evokes the style of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung. Ravel’s sensitivity to timbre and his search for diverse, unconventional instrumental solutions are also particularly evident in Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé. This work invites us on a musical journey into the mysterious world of one of the key French poets, who focused not only on the meaning of words but also on their sound. How perfectly this symbol-laden poetry resonates with the sonic imagination of the composer of the famous Boléro! The two works by Ravel will be separated by music by Aleksander Tansman. Although this Polish composer permanently emigrated from his homeland as early as 1919, his works frequently draw on native traditions. An excellent example is the neoclassical Sinfonietta No. 1 for chamber orchestra from 1924, featuring a beautiful Mazurka as its second movement.
The finale of the concert will feature the first of Ludwig van Beethoven’s famous nine symphonies. Composed at the turn of the century, it premiered on April 2, 1800, at the Burgtheater in Vienna. While the work retains a classical formal structure reflecting the symphonic traditions of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, it also contains hints of the transformations that would define nineteenth-century music. One should note the special role of the wind instruments, as well as the distinctly expressive third movement, whose flowing motion and vibrant energy – still labeled a Minuet – already contain the seeds of the Scherzo. This is no coincidence: starting with his next symphony, Beethoven would openly and permanently abandon the courtly dance resonating with the old order, ushering in a new – already Romantic – tradition.
Marta Dziewanowska-Pachowska
PROGRAM
Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) – Fanfare from the ballet L’eventail de Jeanne
Aleksander Tansman (1897-1986) – Sinfonietta No. 1
I. Allegro assai
II. Mazurka
III. Notturno
IV. Fuga e Toccata
Maurice Ravel – Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé, M.64
Soupir
Placet futile
Surgi de la croupe et du bond
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) – Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21
I. Adagio molto – Allegro con brio
II. Andante cantabile con moto
III. Menuetto: Allegro molto e vivace
IV. Adagio – Allegro molto e vivace
PERFORMERS
ANETA ŁUKASZEWICZ MEZZOSOPRANO
THE ORCHESTRA OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
KAROL KNAPIŃSKI CONDUCTOR
Duration: approx. 1 h 30 mins (with an intermission)
