During the concert closing the season of Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Jarosław Thiel, a forgotten symphony by the 19th-century French composer Louise Farrenc and works by Robert Schumann will be played. The solo part in Schumann’s Cello Concerto will be performed by Jean-Guihen Queyras, famous for his eclectic repertoire. The artist combines experience gained during performances with Pierre Boulez’s Ensemble intercontemporain with playing historical instruments, collaborating with, among others, the Freiburger Barockorchester and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.
The oblivion into which Louise Farrenc’s Symphony No. 3 – herself only female teacher at the Paris Conservatoire in the 19th century – fell shortly after its premiere is attributed not so much to the prejudices of the public and critics against women, but to the general aversion of the French towards symphonic works in general. Among the big forms at that time, opera reigned supreme. Farrenc composed all her symphonies in the 1840s. She completed her last one, The Third, in 1847. Due to the attitude of French musical circles, two years had to pass before the composer heard her work performed by an orchestra. Outside of Paris, it was presented in Geneva and Brussels. It was not until the 21st century that interest in the composition revived. One of those who noticed Farrenc still during her lifetime was Robert Schumann, who, as a critic, spoke favourably of her Variations on a Russian Theme. When composing the Cello Concerto, Schumann certainly used what he had learned playing the cello in his youth. It is no wonder, then, that in this piece he masterfully combined the solo part of the instrument with the mass of the orchestral sound. Despite its success, the three-movement Concerto did not enter the core repertoire until the 20th century. The Overture, Scherzo and Finale in E major op. 52 was written shortly after his marriage to Clara Wieck. It is actually a symphony without the slow movement. Its author also called it a sinfonietta or a suite. Regardless of the label we give it, the composition seduces with its cheerful mood and the inventive scherzo that is like a lively beating heart.