Concerto versus ballet and opera

Music shows its incredible way of affecting people especially when it can be taken from the theatre and onto the concert stage without any obstacles. The program of this April concert gives us many examples of such situations. The ballet “Belkis, queen of Sheba” by Ottorino Respighi is a tale inspired by the Bible that recounts the journey of the titular heroine to reach king Solomon. This peregrination is depicted in a very suggestive and colourful score that is full of exotic colours and rich in different rhythmic patterns. In the overture for the opera “The Force of Destiny” Giuseppe Verdi ensured that the first part introduced the audience into the dark and tense atmosphere of the piece. A similar thing happens in the overture for Moniuszko’s “Halka”, where the listener hears the motifs connected to the two main characters. These pieces will be contrasted with one that was created solely for the philharmonic stage: Béla Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2, which seduces with its original tone colours (such as the combination of the violin with percussion) and non-obvious references to Hungarian folklore. The capricious contrasts of lyrical themes and powerful bursts of temperaments pose big challenges for the soloist. In Łódź these challenges will be taken up by the young violinist Alexandra Tirsu, the laureate of several prizes such as the third prize and the audience’s prize at the prestigious ARD International Music Competition in 2021.

At 6:15 PM we invite you to the Henryk Czyż chamber hall for a pre-concert meeting led by Marcin Majchrowski.

The overture for Stanisław Moniuszko’s “Halka” is taken from the catalogue of PWM Edition.

Top photo: Alexandra Tirsu, phot. Damian Posse

Listen to the concert playlist: