Christoph Eschenbach and the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic will present two undisputed masterpieces. Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 in G major belongs to the Romantic era, while the composition by Witold Lutosławski, whose birthday we will celebrate during the concert, represents musical modernity. The common denominator of both works is their light and cheerful mood.

The title of the cycle of nine songs for soprano and orchestra, Chantefleurs et chantefables, by Witold Lutosławski can be translated as Songflowers and Songfairytales (although some translate it as Flowersongs and Fairytalesongs). This late work of the composer was created in 1989–1990 under the influence of humorous poems by the French surrealist poet Robert Desnos. Desnos wrote them with his friends’ children in mind. Their heroes are plants and animals, including butterflies, a bull, a crocodile, a grasshopper and a turtle. The dreamlike nature of the poems inspired Lutosławski to write pieces with a refined sound, shimmering with various colours. Interestingly, the composer did not use a large orchestra at all. A small ensemble was enough for him to conjure up a world of sounds in which he evocatively and gracefully conveyed the situations presented in the texts.

The second part of the evening will be filled with Symphony No. 8 in G major written in 1889 by Antonín Dvořák, one of his most popular works. Although the composers of the Romantic era liked to create works full of drama, this piece is surprisingly light and cheerful. This carefree spirit could have resulted from the space surrounding the composer. The Eighth was created during Dvořák’s stay in the Rusalka villa, located in the village of Vysoká u Příbramě. In this attractive piece, full of catchy melodies, you can feel the clear inspiration by Bohemia’s folk music. The finale begins with a trumpet fanfare, of which the great Czech conductor Rafael Kubelik once said: “In Bohemia, the trumpet never calls for battle – it is an invitation to dance!”