This week, the Brno Philharmonic will bid farewell to its 68th season with two great romantic works. For the Janáček Theatre, it has prepared Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A minor by Antonín Dvořák and Symphony No. 1 by Jean Sibelius. Alexander Sitkovetsky will perform as soloist.
Concertgoers can look forward to an evening of music inspired by folklore and nature. "After a year, we are also welcoming back Danish conductor Michael Schønwandt, who regularly showcases music by Nordic composers, especially Sibelius' symphonies, as he is one of the greatest authorities of his works," said Marie Kučerová, Director of the Brno Philharmonic.
The Violin Concerto in A minor is one of the masterpieces of Dvořák's Slavic period, and its première outside the Czech lands in 1883 met with an extraordinary ovation. Thanks to the song-like melody of the solo violin and the stylisation into the folk dance furiant redolent with syncopation and abrupt passages, it seems more like a part of the Slavonic Dances. The concerto is now an essential repertoire piece for all Czech and many international violinists. It will be performed in Brno by Alexander Sitkovetsky, who played with the Philharmonic back in autumn 2022 during their British tour. The Moscow-born violinist performs as a soloist with major orchestras and is a regular member of the string quartet led by Julia Fischer. The season's closing concerts will be held on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 June 2024 at the Janáček Theatre.
The second half of the evening will take the listener on a musical journey to savour the beautiful nature and folklore of Finland. "The work, which Sibelius composed at the age of thirty-four, is based on his Romantic models, as is evident in the sentimental themes of the opening and closing movements. We can see a clear influence of Tchaikovsky in them, and the Scherzo mirrors the eponymous movements of Anton Bruckner's symphonies," says music publicist Petr Slouka.
The Philharmonic closes this year's season with two concerts entitled Dvořák & Sibelius. In the upcoming season, the Janáček Theatre will again offer two subscription series: the first with a complete Dvořák concerto, Handel's Messiah and the Czech première of Glass's Mishima piano concerto. The second series will bring performers from around the world to Brno, such as soprano Chen Reiss, pianist Alexander Tharaud and cellist Steven Isserlis.
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