Song of the Night

Jacek Kaspszyk — a conductor who has been associated with the most important Polish orchestras for years and recognized as an outstanding interpreter of late Romantic music — will inaugurate the new artistic season of the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, and Steven Isserlis will perform as soloist. The evening program will combine two works in E minor: Edward Elgar's melancholic Cello Concerto and Gustav Mahler's Seventh Symphony full of surprising contrasts.

Edward Elgar was a traditionalist. He was not interested in seeking new avenues, and his musical language remained strongly rooted in romantic aesthetics. The cello concerto in E minor belongs to the late compositions of the artist. It was created in 1919 and is often seen as a work that summarizes not only Elgar's work, but even the entire era that passed into the past after the dramatic events of the First World War. Although this genre is usually associated with spectacular and distinctive music, this piece is introspective, lyrical and melancholic in nature. It is dominated by an atmosphere of contemplation and silence. It was written at a time when Elgar's art was beginning to lose popularity, which is why the work itself remained underappreciated for many years. The breakthrough came only in 1965, when a recording with the participation of only twenty-year-old Jacqueline du Pré was released. Her interpretation contributed to a huge interest in the work, which continues to this day. At NFM, the solo part will be performed by British virtuoso Steven Isserlis, one of the most outstanding cellists of our time. The artist plays the instrument “Marquis de Corberon” from the studio of Stradivarius from 1726. The musician regularly performs with the most important orchestras of the world, and his recordings have won numerous awards. He is also the author of popular children's books, presenting the life and work of great composers.

After the break, Gustav Mahler's Seventh Symphony in E minor will sound, representing a world extremely different from Elgar's concert. It is a radical work in terms of musical language, full of artistic, and at times even deliberately redrawn color effects. The unofficial subtitle of the composition is “Song of the Night”. Although Mahler never officially accepted it, he left numerous clues as to the interpretation of the work. The persistent rhythm of the first link is supposed to resemble the rhythm of oars, the second was inspired by Rembrandt's Night Watch, the third author ordered to perform “shadowy”, the fourth has the character of a tender serenade with elaborate guitar and mandolin parts, and the pompous finale the creator summed up with the words: “the world is mine!” For a long time, the Seventh Symphony remained on the sidelines of the conductor's repertoire. Only in the second half of the 20th century it began to be performed more often, and the audience gradually appreciated the originality and extraordinary richness of colors of this work.