Sinfonia Varsovia/Zukerman/Violin element

The impetus for the creation of the Sinfonia Varsovia was a series of concerts conducted from the violin by the legendary virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin. To this day, the Warsaw orchestra feels great in situations where it is conducted by an artist combining the functions of soloist and conductor — especially when it is an individual with the reputation of Pinchas Zukerman.

Although Serenade for Strings is a fairly early composition in the work of Edward Elgar, the composer had a special feeling for it and even at the end of his life counted it among his favorite works. The strength of this small composition lies in the simplicity and authenticity of the message — as a violinist, Elgar drew with great grace the parts of string instruments, full of typically English lyricism.

I Max Bruch's Violin Concerto was composed a little more than twenty years earlier, and the composer acquired a completely different attitude towards it over time than Elgar did to his Serenade. The gigantic popularity of the work, combined with the unfavorable contract with the publisher for the composer, became a source of frustration for him, because sometimes he felt like the author of one hit. When he visited Naples in 1903, local violinists gathered near his whereabouts, and Bruch recalled with irritation: “They stand there, on the corner of Via Toledo, ready at any moment to play my First Concerto as soon as I let myself be seen. Let the devils take them all! As if I hadn't written other, equally good concerts!” Well, although popularity has its dark sides, Bruch would probably appreciate the fact that today this piece is consistently ranked among the most important violin concertos in the history of the genre.

Dvořák's 8th Symphony is an endless cascade of musical ideas, exuberant melodies and rhythms. Work on the composition literally burned in the composer's hands, and the score was ready in just ten weeks. No wonder — the composer was in his element, drawing full handfuls from native folk music. The resulting symphony is completely serene and joyful, although shimmering with various harmonic and color shades. And when trumpet fanfare sounds in the finale, it is worth remembering the words attributed to the famous conductor Rafael Kubelík: “In the Czech Republic, trumpets never call for battle — they always call for dancing!”

Szymon Maliszewski

Duration of the concert (including the break): approx. 100 minutes

Performers: Pinchas Zukerman — conductor, violin; Sinfonia Varsovia

Program: Edward Elgar — Serenade for Strings in E minor Op. 20; Max Bruch — Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26; Antonín Dvořák — Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88