Antonin Dvorak (1841–1904) – Symphony No.5 in F major “Spring”, op. 76
Bela Bartok (1881–1945) – “Romanian Dances”
Alberto Ginastera (1916–1983) – Concerto for Harp and Orchestra
First performance in Minsk
State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Belarus
Chief Conductor – People’s Artist of Belarus Alexander Anisimov
Soloist – Darya Mikulik (harp)
Conductor – Alexander Anisimov
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After the program on March 20, which featured music by the classics of the 18th–19th centuries – Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, in the program on April 10 the State Academic Symphony Orchestra turns to works by 20th-century composers: Bartok, Ginastera and the 19th-century Czech romantic Dvorak. The orchestra is performing all three works for the first time on the stage of the Great Concert Hall of the Philharmonic.
Symphony No.5 by Antonin Dvorak can safely be called “Spring”. All four of its parts are a bright emotional statement by the young composer. Listening to this music, you can immediately feel the freshness and beauty of the images of nature, which in Dvorak’s works are inseparable from folk intonations. The composer presents a whole range of feelings – from contemplative calm with a hint of sadness to stormy excitement.
“Romanian Dances” by Bela Bartok is a suite of seven parts, in each of which you can hear colorful folk motifs and feel their individual character. This suite is based on authentic Romanian melodies from Transylvania, which the young Bartok and his colleague and friend Zoltán Kodály recorded while traveling with a phonograph through the most distant cities of Hungary.
Alberto Ginastera is a classic of the 20th century, an Argentine composer, an outstanding musician of Latin America. His works are rightfully considered to be the best examples of 20th century music. Ginastera's most famous works include the Concerto for Harp and Orchestra, written in 1959.
The concerto was written for the harpist Edna Phillips, but by the time the work on the piece was completed, due to circumstances, it was performed by Nicanor Zabaleta with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of Eugene Ormandy in 1965.
This concerto is a very unusual, complex and effective piece for the harp and takes a worthy place in the repertoire of solo harpists. The composer shows the harp as an instrument that can be powerful, dynamic, energetic and modern.
