Mieczysław Karłowicz - Bianca da Molena Op. 6 Symphonic prologue to the drama "The White Dove" by J. Nowiński
Karłowicz is one of the most important composers in the history of Polish music and the patron of the Philharmonic in Szczecin. Between 1895 and 1901, he studied in Berlin, and one of the works that was the result of these studies is Bianca de Molena.
The piece was inspired by a drama written by Karłowicz's friend – Józefat Nowiński. We chose this beautiful piece not only because of its sonic qualities, which the composer himself described as "far from the old-fashioned school of orchestration", but also because it is a youthful piece by Karłowicz, who was only 24 years old at the time of its creation. Thus, youth is the link between the composer, his work and the participants of this year's edition of the International Lutosławski Youth Orchestra.
Mieczysław KarłowiczWitold Lutosławski - Concerto for cello and orchestra
The cello concert, composed thanks to the inspiration of Mścisław Rostropowicz, is the first solo concerto in Witold Lutosławski's creative output, who is the patron of our youth orchestra.
As in the case of Symphony No. 2 (1966-67), the form of the work is entirely independent of classical patterns. However, it is a typical instrumental concerto, in which neither the orchestra nor the solo instrument dominates one another but competes with each other, according to the meaning of the word "concertare".
The concert consists of four movements and begins with a solo cello part, which then initiates a dialogue with the orchestra. The piece was commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and dedicated to Mścisław Rostropowicz. It sounded for the first time in London on October 14, 1970, and the outstanding soloist was accompanied by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Edward Downes.
Excellent young soloist
Marcin Zdunik will accompany the International Lutosławski Youth Orchestra during the performance of this work.
Witold LutosławskiBéla Bartók - Concerto for orchestra in F minor, Sz. 116, BB 123
The concerto for orchestra is one of the most famous pieces by Béla Bartók. It was created in the late period of the outstanding Hungarian composer's work. Performed for the first time on December 1, 1944, by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of S. Kusewicki, it almost immediately won the audience's hearts.
However, the piece's success did not change the life of the composer himself, who died forgotten in poverty just a year after the premiere of the piece. Musically, this composition is a bridge between two eras: rooted in the tradition of the first half of the 20th century and the avant-garde of the post-war times.
There are also folk melodies characteristic of the composer, coming from Hungarian, Romanian and Czech music. Bartók also draws from the musical heritage of America and impressionist works by Debussy, and expressionist compositions by Schoenberg. As befits a concert, the instruments are treated in a soloistic manner, although the work is a five-movement symphony. Interestingly, Bartók included a parody of Symphony No. 7, "Leningrad" by Dmitri Shostakovich, in the fourth movement. He had a bad opinion of it, just like Schoenberg and Stravinsky. Ironically, this joke on Shostakovich became the most recognisable theme of the work. The concerto for orchestra by Bartók orchestra became one of the greatest 20th-century classical music hits itself.
Béla Bartók
