Giancarlo Guerrero’s concert with the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic will be a journey through various styles. There will be a work inspired by a sea voyage, as well as a piece inspired by space. Solo parts in two compositions for cello and orchestra will be performed by the esteemed virtuoso of this instrument Johannes Moser.

The programme includes overtures to two operas by Richard Wagner. The first will be the orchestral introduction to The Flying Dutchman, a three-act work from 1843. The protagonist of this work, based on motifs from Scandinavian legends, is a Dutchman, condemned to endless wandering, from which only the love of a faithful woman can save him. The overture evocatively paints a picture of a violent storm at sea. There is also an ominous motif of a sailor, and this introduction is contrasted with the tender and delicate motif of love and the cheerful, rakish melody of the sailors’ song from the third act. According to the composer’s account, the inspiration to paint a storm with sounds came from his own experiences while sailing from Riga to London in August 1839. Camille Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor will be heard between the two Wagner’s works. He wrote this piece in 1872 for Auguste Tolbecque. In this composition, he broke with the traditional three-movement form of the concerto – it is one-movement, but three sections can be distinguished in it, smoothly connecting with each other. The soloist is accompanied by a small orchestra. The cello part is neck-breakingly virtuosic, especially in the brilliant ending, but the musical values have made this work a great success despite this difficulty.

The second part of the concert will open with an overture to another composition by Wagner. It will be an introduction to the Tannhäuser, written in 1845, based on folk tales and legends whose protagonist is the eponymous minnesinger, i.e. a medieval wandering musician and poet. The contrast between the two spheres shown in this work is suggestively presented. The first is the world of pious, strict knights, symbolized by a solemn chant played by brass instruments. The world of licentiousness is reflected in the lively, effectively instrumented middle episode, which depicts the protagonist’s descent into the cave of Venus. The last piece on the programme is Magnetar, a concerto for electric cello and orchestra by Enrico Chapela. The title refers to a type of star with an extremely strong magnetic field. This original-sounding work was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in 2011. The first performer of the work (and at the same time its dedicatée) is Johannes Moser, and he will play the concerto at the NFM.