'This is an example of a truly romantic expression, elaborate, non-obvious – almost ballad-like – form and beautiful melody characteristic of the composer' – wrote Ignacy Zalewski about Bajka in the monograph of the composer. The Overture Fantastique – first presented to the public in Vilnius on May 1, 1848 – is not without reason one of the most frequently performed symphonic works of the composer. Its narrative character takes listeners on an extraordinary journey through the corners of imagined worlds. For although there is no literary program beyond the significant title, the extraordinarily suggestive music evokes the symphonic poems of Franz Liszt.

Franz Schubert's Third Symphony from 1815 belongs to the youthful works of the prematurely deceased composer. The distinctly Haydn-like patterns evoke the refined order of the passing era, yet one can discern slight hints of the transformations occurring in the musical language of the 19th century in its expression.

In the second part of the concert, eight songs from the cycle Des Knaben Wunderhorn by Gustav Mahler, published in 1899, will be performed. The texts – drawn from a collection of several hundred folk songs gathered by Achim von Arnim and Clemens Brentano – as the composer himself claimed, 'are not masterful poems, but blocks of granite from which anyone can shape what they want.' The creator of the Symphony of a Thousand does not idealize the world presented in them. He combines different texts in one song, sometimes adding his own verses, shaping new qualities, whose ambiguous character he forms using musical means. Hence, in the military songs, a repetitive march rhythm appears along with drums and wind instruments associated with this theme. Meanwhile, in the songs with fairy-tale and satirical themes, a humorous folk stylization predominates – drones, dance rhythms, and even instrumental imitations of animal sounds.

◆PROGRAM◆
•Stanisław Moniuszko – Overture Fantastique Bajka
•Franz Schubert – III Symphony in D major D200
Adagio maestoso – Allegro con brio | Allegretto | Menuetto. Vivace – Trio | Presto vivace
— break —
•Gustav Mahler – Songs from the cycle Des Knaben Wunderhorn (selection)
1. Der Schildwache Nachtlied
2. Das Irdische Leben
3. Lob des Hohen Verstandes
4. Lied des Verfolgten im Turm
5. Rheinlegendchen
6. Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt
7. Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen
8. Trost im Unglück

◆PERFORMERS◆
MONIKA LEDZION-PORCZYŃSKA mezzo-soprano
WITOLD ŻOŁĄDKIEWICZ baritone
ORCHESTRA OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
MARTA KLUCZYŃSKA conductor
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📍Concert Studio of Polish Radio named after Witold Lutosławski, ul. Modzelewskiego 59, Warsaw
Duration: approx. 1h 20 min (plus break)
Seats in the audience are unnumbered
If you have any questions, we are available on-site at the event or by phone 📞+48 500 309 424 from Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM