The concert of the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic under the baton of the principal guest conductor of the Sinfonieorchester Basel – Michał Nesterowicz – will feature well-known and liked works alongside not so popular yet noteworthy pieces. The programme includes two compositions by German Romantic composers and a concerto written during the Classical period, whose author was one of the popular and respected artists of that era.

Carl Reinecke was a German composer, pianist, conductor and teacher, who worked in the Romantic period. During his long life, for some time he was associated with Wrocław (Breslau) – in 1851 he became director and conductor of the Singakademie. After Reinecke’s death, his work was quickly forgotten as it was considered too conservative. A reminder of Reinecke’s personality and achievements will be the performance of the dramatic King Manfred Overture, first performed in 1867 in Wiesbaden. Then we will listen to the Viola Concerto in D major by Franz Anton Hoffmeister, an acclaimed composer and publisher active at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The accessible, charming and effective three-movement work was published in 1799. The solo part will be performed by Nils Mönkemeyer, one of the most valued contemporary violists.

Symphony No. 3 in A minor by Felix Mendelssohn was written following the composer’s trip to Scotland in 1829. In the letters to his family, the artist wrote about how impressed he was by the places he visited, as well as about starting work on a new piece. He even enclosed a fragment of what we now know as the opening theme of the Scottish Symphony. However, inspiration left the composer and the work dragged on. It was not until 1842 that the new work was premiered at the Leipzig Gewandhaus. The Symphony was dedicated to Princess Victoria. Although it was Mendelssohn’s last symphony, due to the order of publication it is now known as The Third. Interestingly, we have no proof of Mendelssohn willing to call it “Scottish”, but the origins of the piece, combined with its dark character and occasional references to the music of this region, made the nickname stick to this work.