Pearls of the Season/Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra/ Bancroft/ Soltani

If there is one band whose performance has been heard live by the vast majority of Nobel laureates of the last 100 years, it is probably just the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. For the Swedish team, which celebrates its 125th birthday in 2027, this will be the first visit to Katowice. The common denominator of the pieces that will be on the program of their concert is the late style. There will be three works that show mature artists who allow themselves numerous introspections, masterfully operating with a very consciously chosen palette of compositional means.

Tapiola is in Finnish mythology and in the national epic Kalevala the domain of the mighty spirit of the Tapia forest. For Sibelius, the symbolism and aura of the epic were an inexhaustible source of inspiration. Saturated with an aura of mystery, the poem was the last great work completed by the composer.

Although Schumann's Cello Concerto in A minor was composed in just a dozen days, the composer was not allowed to hear it during his lifetime. The score was initially met with a cool reception, probably due to its unusual construction — it is more of a psychologizing internal monologue of the cello than an opportunity for virtuoso displays.

In this context, Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances show a completely different picture of the late stage in the life of the great creator. This is the only orchestral score created in its entirety after the composer settled in the United States. The piece is characterized by colorful, modern instrumentation and lively narration. However, there are also numerous autobiographies, reflections and musical memories of Orthodox rites, which the author of the Dances preserved from his youth.

Szymon Maliszewski

Performers: Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra; Kian Soltani — cello

Program: Jean Sibelius — Tapiola Op. 112; Robert Schumann — Cello Concerto in A minor Op. 129; Sergei Rachmaninov — Symphonic Dances, Op. 45