The works of Edvard Grieg and Antonín Dvořák are among the most frequently performed and most liked. The NFM Wrocław Philharmonic will play them under the baton of the acclaimed Austrian conductor Katharina Wincor, who perfected her skills under the supervision of such masters as Iván Fischer, Fabio Luisi, Riccardo Muti, and David Zinman. The pianist Aleksandra Świgut, well-known to Polish music lovers, will perform as soloist.

During the concert, we will hear one of the two suites with incidental music written in 1875 by Edvard Grieg for Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt. The work opens with the well-known and very popular Morning Mood with a theme played by the flute. Although this melody may be associated with a mountainous Norwegian landscape, this association is incorrect, as the composer’s intention was to depict a morning in the African desert. The Death of Aza is an expressive, sad movement portraying the death of the Peer’s mother, while Anitra’s Dance, although it is supposed to accompany the dances of an Arabian girl in the play, is actually a delicate mazurka. The suite ends with a movement depicting the protagonist’s escape from a cave full of angry trolls..

The Piano Concerto in A minor was composed earlier, in 1868, during Grieg’s stay in the Danish town of Søllerød, where he went for health reasons. At that time, the composer was fascinated by the works of Robert Schumann, and one of his favorite works was Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, which the young Norwegian heard performed by Clara, the artist’s widow. Grieg was also fascinated by Scandinavian folk music, which was reflected in the expressive rhythm of the last movement of his composition. The composer presented his concerto to Ferenc Liszt during a meeting in Rome, and the Hungarian composer received the work very enthusiastically. His praise was well deserved – Grieg’s youthful work has become a fixture in piano repertoires all over the world.

The second part of the concert will feature Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World”. It was one of several works written by the Czech composer during his stay in the United States from 1892–1895. At that time, the artist held the position of Director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York, and at the same time developed an interest in American music. The new symphony turned out to be an amalgam of influences and inspirations. In it, one can find both echoes of Native American music and Negro Spirituals, which Dvořák combined with contemporary compositional techniques. The result is a work full of expressive, lively rhythms. The well-rendered contrasts between the lyrical, melancholy and heroic fragments, combined with extraordinary melodic invention, made the work one of the most favourite pieces in the symphonic repertoire.