The last of the concerts of the Witold Lutosławski World Days will be conducted by a respected Australian violinist and conductor, Richard Tognetti, Artistic Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Under his baton, the musicians of the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic will perform works by Witold Lutosławski and Johannes Brahms, as well as contemporary composer Pēteris Vasks.

The Livre pour orchestre was composed by Lutosławski in 1968 at the commission of Berthold Lehmann, conductor and Music Director of the Hagen City Orchestra, who together with its musicians conducted the premiere of the piece on 18 November 1968 during the Hagener Musiktage festival. The title of the work – A Book for Orchestra – refers to François Couperin’s famous Livres pour clavesin and Johann Sebastian Bach’s Orgelbüchlein. The whole thing plays out in four Chapters (fr. Chapitres) separated by three Intermedia. The composition, in which Lutosławski drew on the achievements of controlled aleatorism, was enthusiastically received both by the audience and the critics. Tadeusz A. Zieliński described it as a masterpiece, while Stanisław Krukowski considered it one of the greatest works of contemporary music. The first part of the concert will also feature Pēteris Vasks’ Vox Amoris – fantasy for violin and orchestra. “It is a piece that tells us about the greatest power in the world – love,” says the composer.

Johannes Brahms composed his Symphony No. 3 in the summer of 1883 during a stay in Wiesbaden. Although the composer was averse to programming in music, ironically, enthusiasts of his symphonies gave them characteristic titles. The name of the Symphony No. 3 was “Heroic”. Indeed, its score reveals a heroic tone, though quite different than in Beethoven’s symphonies. The monumental symphony was at the same time an intimate space for Brahms, as he wove numerous personal references into the sound material. In the score, Brahms included his motto “Frei aber froh” (free but happy), reaching for chords intended to emphasize it: F major, A flat major and F major. He also introduced a theme reminiscent of that of The Third Symphony “Rhein” by Robert Schumann – his long-time friend.