The NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, conducted by Bassem Akiki, will present Gustav Holst’s brilliant, colourfully orchestrated The Planets – the most frequently played composition by the English artist, which has inspired film music composers. For years, Leonard Bernstein’s musical West Side Story, who willingly combined entertainment and classical elements in his music, has also enjoyed great recognition. Excerpts from this work will be performed in an arrangement for string quartet and orchestra, and the Lutosławski Quartet will take part in its performance.

The musical West Side Story was composed in 1957. The idea for the piece came from the dancer, choreographer, producer, film and theatre director Jerome Robbins. He invited Leonard Bernstein, playwright Arthur Laurents and lyricist Steven Sondheim to collaborate, proposing to create a musical loosely based on the dramatic pattern of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but set in the realities of contemporary Manhattan. The piece tells the story of the conflict between two New York gangs – the Jets, which include white locals, and the Sharks, made up of immigrants from Puerto Rico. Maria, sister of Bernardo – a member of the Sharks, falls in love with Tony, a member of the Jets. Their feelings become the source of the conflict and lead to tragedy. The performance was a huge success, due to the colourful music composed by Bernstein. He drew heavily on entertainment and dance genres. The audience will hear fragments of this work in an arrangement prepared by the American conductor Randall Craig Fleischer.

Gustav Holst was inspired to compose the seven-movement Planets by reading the writings of the astrologer Alan Leo, who discussed the influence of celestial bodies on the human character. Between 1914 and 1917, Holst created a piece in which each movement  is a portrait of one of the planets of the Solar System: Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. This work was radical for its time and met with distrust from critics, but it won the hearts of the audience and is currently Holst’s most frequently performed composition, thanks to the expressiveness of the characteristics of each of the planets, as well as the masterful orchestration. The suite was written for vast performance forces, including such rarely used instruments as the bass flute and bass oboe. The percussion section was expanded, and the line-up also includes the organ and a women’s choir.