From “One Thousand and One Nights”

Artists:

• Nikola Meeuwsen – piano (winner of the 2025 Queen Elizabeth Competition)
• Howard Griffiths – conductor
• The Łódź Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra

Program:

• Sergei Rachmaninoff – Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor, Op. 18 [35']
  • Moderato
  • Adagio sostenuto
  • Allegro scherzando

BREAK [20']

• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov –  “Scheherazade”, Op. 35 [50']
  • The Sea and Sinbad's Ship
  • The Story of the Kalendar Prince
  • The Young Prince and the Young Princess
  • Festival at Baghdad. The Sea. The Ship Breaks against a Cliff Surmounted by a Bronze Horseman

Compere: Piotr Mika (Ruch Muzyczny)

The artists of the XIXth century often drew from the rich traditions of Eastern countries. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, who was a member of the Russian Mighty Handful, looked to the “One Thousand and One Nights” – an anthology of fables from the far East. He selected four amongst them, turning each into one part of his composition. Its attractiveness is due to the incredibly colourful, rich instrumentation, which stimulates the listener’s imagination. Throughout the whole piece we can hear the reoccurring themes of sultan Shahryar and his wife, the storyteller Scheherazade: the first is intense and menacing, which is accentuated with the brass instrumentation, while the second, melodious and lyrical, is performed by the violin. The Russian musical tradition also gave us Sergei Rachmaninoff, whose style was heavily impacted by his piano virtuosity. His spectacular impetus and massive piano texture determined the character of the Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor. The solo part will be performed by the Dutchman Nikola Meeuwsen, the winner of last year’s edition of the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Competition. The Brussels competition, organized since 1937, is among the oldest and most important musical competitions in the world. The list of its laureates includes such names as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Emanuel Ax, Gidon Kremer and David Oistrakh, as well as Polish musicians - Grażyna Bacewicz, Kaja Danczowska and Iwona Sobotka. 

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

Top photo: Nikola Meeuwsen, fot. Foppe Schut