Mozart in Prague, Britten in America, Vaughan Williams in Norfolk. Four pieces from four different moments in history, four different perspectives – and four different reasons to attend the philharmonic this evening. A program that might seem eclectic at first actually comes together into a very compelling story: about music written “for the people” – regardless of the era, form, or compositional language.
Vaughan Williams opens the concert with the first of his three Norfolk Rhapsodies – a piece created during his travels through villages where he collected songs sung by fishermen, tailors, and laborers. He didn’t treat them as mere folkloric curiosities. Still, he saw in them a living tradition worthy of the full sound of an orchestra. These melodies, rough and simple, have been given new life without losing any of their natural authenticity.
Britten’s Violin Concerto tells an entirely different story – personal, tense, written in the shadow of the approaching war. The composer began working on the piece while still in Europe, but completed it in exile in the United States, where he had emigrated in 1939. At times lyrical, sometimes nervous, with an unconventional structure and a gripping finale that – some say – ends with a question mark rather than a complete stop. It is a work that demands not only technical skill from the violinist but also emotional resilience.
Britten's Violin Concerto performed by Carolin Widmann (violin) and the hr-Sinfonieorchester conducted by Hugh Wolf:
And then – Mozart. His overture to The Marriage of Figaro always works like a jolt of energy. It has something of a comedy of errors about it: short, fast, elegant, and yet cheeky. Meanwhile, the D major Symphony KV 504, known as the Prague Symphony, shows a more serious Mozart. Perhaps he watched with some surprise the enthusiasm with which Czech audiences received his operas – and maybe that is why this symphony is more focused, more contemplative. It is music with a greater weight than its light opening might suggest.
This time, the Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra will be joined by special guests. Andrea Obiso – concertmaster of the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome – is known for her charisma and precision. She will be accompanied by Ken-David Masur, music director of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, a conductor who combines European elegance with American freedom.
Excerpt from Mozart's Prague Symphony performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the direction of Maxim Emelyanychev:
