Confluere, co-commissioned by the Brno Philharmonic as a prelude to Mozart, will be performed in its Czech première

6 January 2025, 10:00
Confluere, co-commissioned by the Brno Philharmonic as a prelude to Mozart, will be performed in its Czech première

This week will see the Czech première of Confluere by Justé Janulyté, who composed it as a co-commission for the Brno Philharmonic and Radio France, L'Orchestre national des Pays de la Loire. The internationally acclaimed Lithuanian composer wrote it as a work to immediately precede Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G minor. The concerts are conducted by Tomáš Netopil, with French violinist Fedor Rudin, former concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic, and Pavel Nikl, one of the best Czech violists, as soloists.

"The word confluere comes from the Latin and means to flow. This is how the two works are meant to work side by side, like one river flowing into another," says Janulyté. From Mozart she takes the famous opening theme, a figure reminiscent of a sigh, which she varies, colours, harmonises and develops in slow motion in dense layers, preparing the listener for the arrival of the symphony. "The composition was successfully premièred last April in Paris, and we will be hosting its Czech première," said Marie Kučerová, director of the Brno Philharmonic.

The premiéred work is to be framed by two works by Mozart. In addition to Symphony No. 40, one of the top works of its genre from the Classical period, the event will include be Concertante Symphony in E flat major for violin and viola. "Mozart's compositional sophistication and genius are evident in this. Not only does it put the violin and viola on an equal footing, which was rare until then, it also highlights the viola's strengths by re-tuning them by a semitone, allowing the deeper and darker viola to assert itself with a brighter tone," explained Vítězslav Mikeš, dramaturg of the Brno Philharmonic.

The work, which Mozart composed at the age of twenty-three, combines two movements, the best of each: a symphony and an instrumental concerto. "At that time Mozart had written at least thirty symphonies, and a number of instrumental concertos, so it was evidently time to combine the two positions. To meet the ever-increasing demands for a complex musical shape while retaining the appeal of the solo performances, which are extremely attractive for both the musicians and the audience," said music publicist Boris Klepal.

Pavel Nikl/ FB photo archive

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