García García plays Bach and Mozart | García García | Dybal | Chamber Orchestra

Performers: Martín García García — piano

Jurek Dybał — conductor

Silesian Chamber Orchestra

Program: Jan Sebastian Bach — piano concerto in D minor, BWV 1052

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Piano Concerto No. 23

Karol Szymanowski — Etude in B minor Op. 4 No. 3

Johanes Brahms — String Symphony Op. 111

Martín García García — winner of the 3rd prize of the 18th Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw and winner of the Cleveland International Piano Competition — is today one of the most appreciated pianists. The Spanish artist has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, Suntory Hall in Tokyo and the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, among others, collaborating with such ensembles as the NHK Symphony Orchestra and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.

During the concert he will perform two masterpieces of the piano repertoire — the dramatic Concerto in D minor BWV 1052 by Jan Sebastian Bach and the lyrical and elegant XXIII Piano Concerto in A major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The orchestra will be conducted by Jurek Dybał — conductor and double bass player associated with, among others, the Vienna Philharmonic.

The piano concerto in D minor BWV 1052 by Jan Sebastian Bach is one of the composer's most dramatic and virtuosic works. Although it is probably a transcription of an earlier violin concerto, Bach created a piece of remarkable coherence and impressive counterpoint artistry. Characteristic of the concert is the unison beginning of each part and the clear contrast between the energetic extreme links and the full focus of the Adag. The special strength of the work is built up by the constant rhythmic movement and dialogue of the piano with the orchestra, giving the music an almost theatrical tension.

The XXIII Piano Concerto in A major KV 488 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed in 1786, in parallel with the composer's work on the Marriage of Figaro and, like the opera, impresses with its lightness, singing and serene character. This is one of Mozart's most beloved concertos — full of elegance, subtle ornamentation and extraordinary melodiousness. Particularly moving remains the melancholic Adagio in F minor, kept to the rhythm of Sicilian, contrasting with the brilliant extreme parts. Mozart combined here the classical clarity of form with the extraordinary finesse of the piano part, whose “pearly cascades of sounds” illuminate the sound of the orchestra.

The programme will also include Karol Szymanowski's Etude in B minor Op. 4 No. 3 — the most famous work from the early period of the composer's work, dedicated to his school friend Natalia “Tali” Neuhaus. The piece was created at the beginning of the 20th century and soon gained immense popularity thanks to the interpretations of Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Particularly impressive is the increasing dynamics and emotional tension built up by sparing pianistic means. In later years, Grzegorz Fitelberg developed Etude No. 3 for symphony orchestra.

The evening will be completed by Johannes Brahms's String Symphony Op. 111 — a masterful elaboration of the 2nd String Quintet in G major for string orchestra. Although Brahms formally composed only four symphonies, the arrangement prepared at the initiative of the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester made it possible to extract the full symphonic sound from the chamber work. The music impresses with Brahms's characteristic warmth, melodiousness and subtle balance between the intimacy of chamber music and the richness of the string orchestra.

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