NOSPR/Alsop/ Bialic/Gesture music

Before the concert, at 6.30 p.m., we invite you to the chamber hall for a meeting with editor Andrzej Sułek (Program 2 of Polish Radio), who will discuss the works performed that evening. Entrance to the lecture is free, to participate in the lecture is entitled to show a subscription card or a ticket to the concert. The lecture will also be broadcast live on YouTube.

If we were to list the most famous gestures of classical music, then three impressive chords from the overture to the Magic Flute would be at the forefront. And the majestic organ chord from the final of Symphony III in C minor would appear in this juxtaposition right next to it.

Mozart's theatrical knock not only opens a portal to the fabulous world of the Queen of the Night, but is also meant to symbolize the entrance to the Masonic lodge. There are more references to the circus and the cornerstone in the opera, and the number three itself carries a fundamental meaning. The polyphonic constructions in the overture develop slightly, also on the basis of a theme taken from Clementi. In Saint-Saëns, the whole symphony revolves around a single motif, kaleidoscopically changing in every respect — tempo, dynamics, tonality, mood, timbre. In the latter area, the composer breaks the existing framework, because he boldly weaves organs into the fabric of the orchestra. When they quietly complement the lyrical strings, they provide a colorful variety of the background. But when in Maestoso they stand as a mighty wall of sound, it is hard to doubt why this particular instrument was proclaimed king.

In the middle of this iron framework of repertoire comes the Concerto for Orchestra by Roxanna Panufnik — a creator who also does not shy away from strong gestures, draws deeply from tradition and also breaks conventions. However, her latest work for the premiere will remain a traditional unknown, after all, as Panufnik said in an interview years ago, she does not use any specific technique, but simply follows the heart.

Piotr Mika (“The Musical Movement”)

Duration of the concert (including the break): approx. 90 minutes

*Commissioned by Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Ravinia Festival

More concerts as part of the S2 Symphony Concert Series.

Performers: NOSPR; Arkadiusz Bialic — organ

Program: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Overture to the opera The Magic Flute; Roxanna Panufnik — Concerto for Orchestra (world premiere, co-commissioned by NOSPR) *; Camille Saint-Saëns — Symphony No. 3 in C minor Organ, Op. 78