The emotional life of composers is often an important source of inspiration. It becomes an incentive to writing wonderful, emotional music that strongly impresses the audience.
The last decade of the life of the Czech composer Leoš Janáček was marked by a strong affection, which he cherished for almost 40 years younger Kamila Stösslova. The situation, however, was not favorable for the artist: both he and Stösslová were married, and to make matters worse, the composer’s passion was reciprocated. Though the odds were against them, Kamila was a source of inspiration for Leoš, and he shared ideas for new works in letters written to his beloved. He also did so when composing the String Quartet “Kreutzer Sonata”, inspired by the novel by Leo Tolstoy. Violent, often contradictory emotions experienced by the protagonists became the basis for creating one of Janáček's most personal, stormy and poignant works.
The Serenade op. 6 by Josef Suk is very different from the Janáček quartet: cheerful, elegant and graceful. Suk studied composition with Antonín Dvořák. The teacher’s sympathy for his student meant that he often went to his mentor’s house and fell in love with his daughter Otilie. The feeling was mutual, and in 1897 the couple got married.
The Five Melodies op. 35 by Sergei Prokofiev are songs without words originally intended for voice and piano. Prokofiev’s arrangement for violin and piano gained great popularity, but the Wrocław audience will listen to yet another version of the work. It will be a setting for string orchestra arranged by Joseph Swensen.
The programme will also include the Lydian Music of the Wrocław-based composer Grażyna Pstrokońska-Nawratil, a work which she completed in 2003.
