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NOSPR / Fournillier / Infinitely elegant. French music

For most of the 19th century, the French romanticism was seeking a way of its own, trying not to fall within the orbit of German influence – César Franck, however, eventually preferred to yield to the inspiration to be found in those, simultaneously finding a voice of his own in the Symphony in D minor. It was, of course, characterised by a high density of harmony, but also by refined and gripping themes, as well as a specific melancholy and... Read full text

Keywords: Subscription Concert, Symphony Concert, Vocal Music

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Musicians

Patrick FournillierConductor
NOSPR
Cracow Philharmonic Choir
Gabriela LegunSoprano
Stanisław KuflyukBariton

Program

César FranckSymphony in D minor
Gabriel FauréRequiem, Op. 48
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Last update: Fri, Nov 22, 2024, 12:16

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Thu, Nov 28, 2024, 19:30
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French music has prided itself on its separateness for ages. In the 1st half of the 19th century, it became widely associated with neoclassicism - a current that valued balance, clarity of form, emotional frugality and a sense of humour modelled on the 18th-century Viennese classicism, over the excessive exuberance and overexpression of the late romantic period. An advocate of neoclassicism and a legendary teacher of younger generations of composers, many of whom followed this path, was Nadia Boulanger. Her Paris classroom was a shrine nearly all young Polish composers of the interwar generation considered worthy of a pilgrimage. The most prominent one of those was Grażyna Bacewicz, whose own student, Piotr Moss, followed into her footsteps, also honing his skill in Paris. Those were already the final years of Boulanger’s activity, but meeting her left such a strong mark on the Polish composer’s creative imagination that he has now dedicated his latest piece, Mademoiselle – hommage à Nadia Boulanger, to his professor. This year, the composer, who continuously maintains close ties to the city of Paris, celebrates his 75th birthday and 55 years of artistic activity. His work will be performed alongside one by Boulanger herself.Albert Roussel – the greatest French composer of symphonic works in the first half of the 20th century – did not submit to the influence of neoclassicism entirely, yet he certainly shared the current’s enthusiasts’ passion for clear form, regular themes and prominent rhythms. The ballet Bachus and Ariadne is one of his most magnificent scores. The greatest hit of the concert, however, is going to be Claude Debussy’s 1894 Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun – an earnest of the French separateness of the century to come.Adam SuprynowiczConcert duration (intermission included): approximately 100 minutes
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{oh!} TRIO / Michaela Koudelková / Tasting French Music

Sat, Dec 14, 2024, 19:30
Michaela Koudelková (Flute), Martyna Pastuszka (Violin), Anna Firlus (Harpsichord), Monika Hartmann (Cello), Magdalena Łoś-Komarnicka (Compere)
This concert is like tasting exquisite French wines – it explores the wealth of musical flavours, aromas and notes contained in the sophisticated compositions of French artists of the 17th and 18th centuries. One can easily imagine Jean-Henri d'Anglebert's Prelude non mesuré opening the evening with notes of deep, sensual sound. What does the imagination suggest? Can you find hints of dark fruit in it? François Martin's Sonata II will remind you of the delicate taste of tannins, balanced by an elegant texture. We would say that Pierre Gautier's Suites des Prisons brings notes of oak barrels and leather accents to mind. De Villeneuve is a composer who shares a surname with famous French wines. In his Suite No. 3 from the collection Conversations en manière de sonatas, he takes us straight to the essence of a refined pale golden liquid that encases subtle floral notes. Alexandra KozowiczConcert duration: approximately 70 minutes
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NOSPR / Zagrosek / Mahler’s happiest symphony

Thu, Apr 10, 2025, 19:30
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NOSPR / Alsop / Requiem as a tribute

Thu, Mar 27, 2025, 19:30
Marin Alsop (Conductor), NOSPR, NFM Choir, Lionel Sow (NFM Choir Art Director), Pierre-Louis de Laporte (Choir preparation), Erica Eloff (Soprano), Ben McAteer (Bariton), Szymon Nehring (Piano), Zuzanna Nalewajek (Alto)
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Fri, Jan 17, 2025, 19:30
Marin Alsop (Conductor), NOSPR, Inmo Yang (Violin)
Although Sibelius’ Violin Concerto is not programmatic music, it is permeated by the same Northern colour and breadth of breath that can be found in nearly all works by the creator of Finlandia. This is because landscape is not present there merely as a decoration – as it was in 18th-century music – but to reflect the scenery of the soul. Part of the core violinistic repertoire, enclosed within the framework of classical form, for over a hundred years, the piece has not ceased to inspire a sense of wonder, not only with its mysterious atmosphere and richness of sound, but also with its symphonic elan and originality of themes. While the British musicologist Donald Tovey called the final movement of the Concerto a “polonaise for polar bears”, he granted it – and rightly so! – an honourable place among the greatest violin concertos of Romanticism. Another great classic of 20th-century music is Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, in which – as Alex Ross put it – the Hungarian composer and folklore researcher “decided to throw away his notebook and began dancing with them [peasants]. From the strings, there rise clouds of dust, setting on the feet of the frenzied dancers.”. While the musical language of this late work of Bartok’s is a softened one, its form is classicising, and the sounds are nearly euphonic, still what is the most important for his style was retained – distinct rhythms, colourful instrumentation, and subtle inspiration drawn from folklore. Piotr MatwiejczukConcert duration: approximately 110 minutes
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NOSPR Chamber Musicians / Hindemith / Britten / Music as light as a feather

Thu, Apr 3, 2025, 19:30
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Fri, Mar 7, 2025, 19:30
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NOSPR / Vermeulen / „Too many notes!” / Mozart’s arias and symphonies gala

Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 12:00
Dirk Vermeulen (Conductor), NOSPR, Ilse Eerens (Soprano)
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This month
In Katowice

NOSPR / Todorov / A revolutionary symphony

Sun, Apr 27, 2025, 12:00
Najden Todorov (Conductor), NOSPR, Tine Thing Helseth (Trumpet)
Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s career spanned two eras – those of classicism and romanticism. As a child and teenager, he studied with Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Later, he befriended Ludwig van Beethoven, and later still the young Fryderyk Chopin, the Polish composer highly valuing his compositions and finding them inspirational for his own early work. Hummel’s Concerto in E-flat major for the trumpet was composed in 1803, with Anton Weidinger, a Viennese virtuoso of the instrument, in mind. Its premiere in a New Year concert in January 1804 was a celebration of the composer being appointed Konzertmeister to Nikolaus II, Prince Esterházy's estate. The soloist is accompanied by a small orchestra consisting of flutes, clarinets, oboes, horns, timpani and strings. The mood is bright, and the virtuosic parts are suggestively combined with lyrical ones.Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C major was composed at the same time as Hummel’s work. Its premiere to place in Vienna in 1800 and the strong impression it made helped its creator reinforce his position among the city’s musicians. Commentators pointed out the work’s innovativeness, which lay in surprising key changes, strong and unexpected rhythmical accents, as well as an increased autonomy of woodwind instruments. Paradoxically, later researchers preferred to emphasise the fact that this early work of Beethoven’s still features, quite naturally for a rather young composer, significant influence of Haydn’s and Mozart’s oeuvres. The truth lies in the middle – this is a work in which achievements of previous generations were creatively transformed by a progressively oriented composer.Oskar ŁapetaConcert duration: approximately 70 minutes
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NOSPR / Bayona / de la Salle / Great history and the joy of music-making

Sun, Nov 17, 2024, 12:00
Néstor Bayona (Conductor), NOSPR, Lise de la Salle (Piano)
„Manuscripts don’t burn” – claimed a character of Bulgakov’s. Could Andrzej Panufnik feel that when composing his Tragic Overture in the occupied Warsaw? He intended to escape from the circumstances of the day, heading towards the sphere of sonic abstraction. And yet, in the imitative instrumental parts, dramatic to the point of feeling obsessive, echoes of the war can be heard on and on. The score survived the occupation, though it almost fell prey to the tenants who took over the composer’s Warsaw apartment and had a penchant for using sheet music as fuel for their stove. The Tragic Overture is one of those works that history itself uses as a medium to speak through. Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 is also a priceless treasure. If we converted the time it took to compose it into its duration time, we would learn that the master of Romantic melodics was writing at a pace of less than a minute per year! This time-consuming process bridged youthful emotionality and a clear outlook on the form – crystallising over 26 years. The Weimar premiere of the piece was conducted by none other than Hector Berlioz, who called himself „Beethoven’s crescendo”, with audiences’ idol – Franz Liszt – on the piano. In the Katowice concert, the solo part will be performed by Sergio Tiempo, whose pianistic fame guarantees experiences of not only emotional, but also intellectual nature. The orchestra will be led by Néstor Bayona, NOSPR’s conductor in residence. Morton Gould’s music undoubtedly belongs to the world of Dionysian values. Spirituals for orchestra is a hymn celebrating the American roots. Composed in mid-twentieth century, the music beams with unpretentious joy, flowing straight from its ethnic sources. Gould’s inspiration was not only Baptist church music, but also the “carnival” joy of music-making, which lends the piece a mood of musical celebration. Krzysztof SiwońConcert duration: approximately 60 minutes