Beethoven — Symphony No. 5

The title of the NFM concert of the Wrocław Philharmonic indicates a widely known masterpiece by Beethoven. However, due to the rank of the other compositions, the evening could also be called “Sibelius — Seventh Symphony” or “Prokofiev — First Violin Concerto”. Milestones in the history of European music will be performed by the phenomenal Finnegan Downie Dear, and the solo part in the last of the listed works will be performed by the violinist of the young generation Amira Abouzahr.

Sibelius's Seventh Symphony, on which the noted perfectionist worked for almost a decade, was completed in 1924. In the end, she adopted a one-piece form with an original way of conducting the narrative. A special role is played by the returning trombone solo, in the manuscript of the work bearing the name of the artist's beloved wife — Aino. Modern American critic Alex Ross has stated that the Seventh combines the dark and light sides of the difficult personality of its author. The Finn never showed the world another symphony, despite the insistence of Sergei Kusewitsky himself. In 1923, this conductor conducted the first performance of the Violin Concerto in D major by his namesake and compatriot Prokofiev. The work, created earlier, because in the year of the two Russian revolutions, was originally intended for Paweł Kochanski, an outstanding Polish violinist of that era. However, the history of a composition combining lyricism and sarcasm turned out differently. The famous theme bearing the phrase “sognando”, which was also supposed to express hot love, was played in Paris by Marcel Darrieux.

Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony in C minor sounded for the first time on December 22, 1808 during a legendary four-hour concert of (then) contemporary music. Heating was not provided in the hall, and the performers were insufficiently prepared. So failures were not avoided. Fortunately, over the centuries the practice of organizing such events has developed significantly and today it is worth hearing the Fifth in comfortable conditions, in a space with first-class acoustics — like the ORLEN Main Hall.