Thu, 6. 2. 2020, 7.00 p.m.

B4 ELGAR AND CZECH MODERNISM

Venue: Zlín Congress Centre  |  Organizer: Filharmonie Bohuslava Martinů, o.p.s.  | 

Miloslav Kabeláč, undoubtedly one of the most important figures of 20th-century Czech music, worked for many years in various posts at the former Czechoslovak Radio but frequently came into conflict with leading communist regime politicians of the time because of his refusal to write ideologically committed music. Indeed his work was repeatedly banned during the period of normalisation, only to be granted its due and proper recognition after 1989. His second Overture for Large Orchestra written in 1947, which we hear tonight, is just one example of the composer's rich and varied output.

Edward Elgar's E-minor Cello Concerto written in 1919 and widely considered one of the pinnacles of its genre had only a lukewarm reception at its premiere in London. Some reports at the time spoke of a lamentable performance, probably not because of the composition's undoubted artistic excellence, but for the allegedly disappointing way in which the orchestra and the soloist acquitted themselves. In terms of quality the concerto is nothing less than exceptional and compares favourably with, for example, those by Dvořák and Schumann. The piece is played this evening by Michal Kaňka, a winner of many prestigious international music competitions.

Vítězslav Novák, one of the founding figures of Czech modern music, was strongly influenced at one stage of his life by Moravian folklore. In 1896 he made his first visit to Velké Karlovice where he was captivated by a first-hand encounter with the authentic folk songs of the area. He subsequently made regular visits to several places in southern and south-east Moravia discovering the many facets of folk song and its unmistakable tonalities. The distinctive culture of Moravia's 'Slovácko' region is reflected in his portrayal of a festive tableau in a picturesque Moravian-Slovak village in this suite written in 1903.