At the beginning of September, during the concert commemorating 83 years since the onset of WWII,  we will hear the highly regarded Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra performing at the Main Hall of the National Forum of Music. The programme includes works by artists whose output has become particularly meaningful in the 20th century – the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and two great US composers: George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein. The concert will also include Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22 by Henryk Wieniawski, performed by Kristóf Baráti. 

Da pacem Domine is a composition created by Arvo Pärt in 2004. Originally conceived for a vocal ensemble, it was soon adapted into various versions, including one for orchestra. The work is based on the words of a Latin prayer – ‘Give peace, Lord’ – which asks to bring believers relief in their suffering. The performance of this piece will be a symbolic commemoration of the events from 83 years ago – the onset of WWII. The impulse to compose this work, which is mystical in its expression, was a request from Jordi Savall, one of the most renowned interpreters of early music. The sound base for the composition was the melody of the Gregorian antiphon from the 9th century.

This piece will be followed by Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22, the work of Henryk Wieniawski, a Polish violinist and composer. This composition was published in 1870 and instantly became Wieniawski’s most popular work. This piece in the brilliant style combines the two main characteristics of the composer’s output – dazzling virtuosity and lyrical profundity.

The second part of the concert will be filled by works by Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin, two composers who contributed immensely to American culture. West Side Story is the title of the musical in Bernstein’s catalogue. It is based on the idea of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but the plot takes place in 1950s New York. In creating the music Bernstein had a remarkable quality, perfectly using the timbral spectrum to portray the experiences of the protagonists. During the evening we will hear Symphonic Dances from this musical. The concert will end with a symphonic poem by George Gershwin, an unquestionable master of joining distant music traditions – jazz and blues on the one hand, and classical music on the other. An American in Paris is a composition that is exceptionally light and melodious, and at the same time elegant in its expression. It makes a reference to the brilliante style of French music. The piece was composed in Vienna, during Gershwin’s three-month journey through Europe which included also a visit to Paris, the streets of which the composer found enchanting.