At the National Forum of Music we will say farewell to May with a big smile, thanks to the Leo Festival and an unusual concert combining fine music with puppet theatre. It is time to have fun with the NFM Lepoldinum Chamber Orchestra!
When he was just over 30, Richard Strauss had already established himself as a composer of extraordinary works of serious character. And all of a sudden he surprised his listeners in 1885 with Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, the story of a village jester wandering northern Germany in the 15th century. During his escapades Till misbehaved a lot: mocked the people he met, seduced damsels and started brawls. Was he a real figure or just a protagonist of popular legends? The question remains unanswered. We do knowhe was a figure that Strauss was very fond of and that inspired him to create this apparently carefree and witty composition, yet not without layers of existential despair if we have a closer look. Surprisingly, contrary to his time’s fashion Strauss give up the idea of writing a literary comment to his work, suggesting his listeners themselves crack the nuts served to them by this good-for-nothing.
The rich programme of the concert also features works by Joseph Haydn, who was famous for his excellent sense of humour. His famous String Quartet ‘The Joke’ was allegedly written due to a bet (if you believe Johannes Brahms). The final fourth movement is conceived in such a way as to mislead the listeners about its ending. When we expect to hear the final chord, another melody pops up. The composer wanted to play a prank on elegant ladies unwilling to listen carefully even to one quartet lasting around 20 minutes. Haydn’s String Quartet No. 3 ‘The Bird’ seems just as joyful, and the subtitle was given by listeners who associated the individual parts with tweeting birds.