Symphonic concert: Kulka | Pijarovsky

Karol Kurpiński is one of the most important representatives of Polish musical life in the first half of the 19th century, and his operatic work played an important role in shaping the Polish stage repertoire. The overture to the opera “Dwie hutki” shows the composer skillfully using the classical overture model, in which the instrumental part not only opens the work, but also introduces its atmosphere and musical material. Kurpiński combines a clear construction, expressive contrasts and a melody referring to the Polish theatrical and singing tradition. It is worth noting the dialogue of individual groups of the orchestra, the variability of the nature of the themes and the way of building tension leading to an effective ending. At the same time, the overture is an example of Kurpinski's style, in which European compositional experience meets the desire to create its own recognizable language of Polish stage music.

Mieczysław Karłowicz's Violin Concerto in A major, Op. 8, composed in 1902, is one of the most beautiful works in Polish violin literature, dedicated to the outstanding virtuoso and teacher of the composer, Stanisław Barcewicz. The piece, written in his youth, impresses with its late romantic exuberance, extraordinary melodiousness and technical bravado. The three-part composition perfectly balances between the distinctive character of the solo part and the dense, symphonic sound of the orchestra. The solemn and passionate Allegro moderato is followed by a moving Romanza, and the whole is crowned with a full

energy, dance finale, putting the highest performance demands on the soloist. Under the bright, major tone of the work hides a deep emotionality characteristic of Karłowicz, foreshadowing his later symphonic poems.

Although marked with the fourth Symphony in D minor, Op. 120 by Robert Schumann in its original version was composed as early as 1841 as the second in a row. It acquired its final shape and richer instrumentation ten years later. This work remains one of the most revolutionary and formally coherent achievements in the history of 19th-century symphony. Schumann abandoned the traditional breaks between parts — all four links are performed without a pause (attacca), creating a single, organic sound universe. The whole structure of the work is united by the same melodic motifs that recur in different parts, which gives the composition an improvisational character and at the same time extremely compact. From the dark, mysterious introduction, to the graceful romance, to the triumphant and glittering finale, this symphony remains the quintessence of the romantic spirit.