Sunday’s Matinée at the NFM will bring a surprising encounter. Krzysztof Jakowicz, an experienced violin master, once esteemed by Witold Lutosławski, and Jan Tabęcki, a representative of the younger generation of artists, will perform together. Tabęcki, a versatile pianist and graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, keenly engages in projects featuring electronics and pop aesthetics. This time, however, the musicians will reach for works from the Viennese violin canon of the times of Emperor Franz Joseph.

Before composing his first violin sonata, Johannes Brahms is said to have composed and thrown out as many as five works in this genre. He was only satisfied with the version completed in 1879 – the one particularly loved by Clara Schumann. In a letter to its author, Clara wrote about the work: “I would like [its] last movement to be with me when I make my journey to the other world.” After listening to one of the most lyrical works in the Romanticist’s legacy, it is no wonder the famous pianist wanted to be lulled to eternity by its very rhythm.

Lyrical moments are also abundant in Fritz Kreisler’s compositions. Known primarily as a virtuoso violinist, the Austrian forged a stunning career, becoming a proponent of the still-living sentiment for Vienna during the Belle Époque. The melodic Alt-WienerTanzweisen, with its canonical Liebesleid, was published while that period was still in full swing – in 1905. After listening to Three Old Viennese Dances, you will undoubtedly crave coffee with whipped cream, as if straight from a Viennese café. Pablo de Sarasate captured the distinctive charm of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in his Gypsy Melodies. Composed shortly after the Sarasate’s Viennese debut, this masterpiece features melodies written by Hungarian composers, and its finale is stylised as a czardas.