The viola is an instrument not very often appearing solo. However, among contemporary composers there are admirers of its sound, writing works full of beauty and expression, in which they do justice to its potential. They include Latvia’s Pēteris Vasks and Dobrinka Tabakova, a UK citizen of Bulgarian origin. During the concert, in addition to their works, one of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s symphonies will also be heard.

The evening will begin with the performance of the Concerto for viola and strings by Pēteris Vasks, a leading contemporary artist from the Baltic countries. His rich output includes orchestral, chamber, piano, organ and choral compositions. Vasks’ work was created in 2014–2015 with Maxim Rysanov in mind, who will perform the solo part during the concert with the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra. It consists of four contrasting movements and is written in a listener-friendly style. It is moving, affectionate, full of reverie and intense emotions.

Homage to Schubert for viola and string orchestra by Dobrinka Tabakova is the second piece in the programme. Tabakova finished work on it in 2013, and in that year it sounded for the first time in Vilnius performed by Rysanov. The artist engages here in a dialogue with the music of the author of Die Schöne Müllerin. The sound is moody, suggestively evoking the mood of mystery. Tabakova is captivated by the purity and integrity of the Austrian composer’s music, which she has been listening to since she was a child. The starting point in her creative process was Fantasia for violin and piano in C major with its atmospheric beginning and sense of great space. These are the elements the British artist tried to transfer to her work. The last one will be Mozart’s Symphony in B flat major KV 319. It was composed in 1779 and belongs to the composer’s late symphonies. It is intended for a small ensemble, but the small line-up obviously does not fetter the author’s melodic invention, nor the serene expression of the music. The manuscript of this work is kept in the Jagiellonian Library in Kraków.