The participants of this season’s NFM Orchestra Academy, together with the NFM instrumentalists under the baton Jacek Kaspszyk, with Roksana Kwaśnikowska will present the violin concerto written by Mieczysław Karłowicz, whose work closes the Romantic era in Polish music. The Orchestra Academy season finale will culminate with a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. 

Karłowicz’s melodious and cheerful Violin Concerto in A major one of the most difficult compositions for this instrument. This has been pointed out by critics who listened to the first performances of it, and by contemporary virtuosos. However, this is not a show for the sake of show, as these difficulties serve the purpose of expression and contribute to strengthening the work’s appeal. The concert consists of three movements. The first of these, Allegro moderato, is epic and heroic in nature. The ensuing Romanza is where Karłowicz highlights the melody. The finale is the joyful and energetic Vivace assai. Karłowicz was a violinist, so he was well aware of how difficult a piece he had written. 

The evening will be crowned by Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor. There was some controversy among early commentators about the meaning of the famous opening motif. The composer’s secretary, Anton Schindler, maintained that Beethoven had pointed out this fragment of the score to him, saying: “this is how fate knocks on the door”, while Beethoven’s student, Carl Czerny, claimed that his master was inspired by the rhythm of a yellowhammer singing during one of his walks. We will never know the truth, but two things are certain. Firstly, an undisputed masterpiece was created, which has taken a permanent place in the orchestral repertoire. Secondly, the story of an artist fighting his destiny and prevailing turned out to be much more compelling than the one about birdsong. More importantly, the symphony continues to intrigue generations of listeners with its drama and genius economy of expressive means.