Celebrating Wrocław Day, the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic will perform under the baton of Marcin Danilewski, and the soloist will be violinist Sara Dragan, representing the young generation of Polish artists. The programme features works by Daniel Auber, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven.
It is a truism to say that operas are based on singing. The exceptions include works in which the title role is... silent. Such a sensation is Daniel Auber's La muta di Portici, representing the Romantic era, first exhibited in Paris in 1828. This work, which was part of the trend of monumental historical operas, was very popular in its time, and even Richard Wagner, who was otherwise critical of his colleagues, spoke highly of it. During the concert, the impressive, colourfully instrumented and dramatic Overture will be performed. The next part of the Wrocław Festival programme is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major KV 216. This is Mozart’s youthful work, completed in 1775, when he was just nineteen. In a letter to his father, the composer called it “Straßburg-Concerto”, and researchers believe that he did so because of the melody from that city quoted in the third movement. The concert, during which the soloist is accompanied by a small orchestra, is a perfect exemplification of the Classical style: the main focus is not on technical prowess, but on inventive, melodic songs.
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 in B flat major is one of the lightest and most cheerful works of this genre written by this artist. It was created in the autumn of 1806 during Beethoven’s stay in the castle of Franz Joachim von Oppersdorff in Głogówek (which was then called Oberglogau). The symphony begins with a slow, mysterious and gloomy introduction, after which one might expect a dramatic development. However, this does not happen – there is an explosion of joy, the tempo accelerates, and the carefree mood lasts until the very end of the four-movement piece.