Performers
Brno Philharmonic
Slovak Philharmonic Choir
Dennis Russell Davies – conductor
Jan Rozehnal – choirmaster
Polina Osetinskaya – piano
Radim Pančocha – piano
Denny Wilke – organ
Cori O’Lan – lighting design
Program
Anthony Heinrich – The Wild Wood Spiritsʼ Chant
Ludvig van Beethoven – Choral Fantasy for piano, chorus and orchestra in C minor, Op. 80
soloists: Zuzana Weiserová – soprano, Katarína Ďurdinová – soprano, Dominika Krčištová – alto, Pavol Oravec – tenor, Mykola Erdyk – tenor, Eugen Gaál – bass
Arvo Pärt – Credo for piano, mixed choir and orchestra
Alexander Scriabin – Symphony No. 5: Prometheus The Poem of Fire for piano, choir and orchestra, Op. 60
Admission 30, 26, 20 € Tickets
In the latest years Brno Philharmonic appears as a distinctive and inventional music ensemble, which is evidenced also by the joint project plans for the festivals Moravian Autumn and BMF. Anthony Philip Heinrich born in Bohemia (1781–1861) was the first full-time American composer. He transferred his fascination with wild nature sounds into many of his programme compositions, the eccentric Wild Wood Spirits’ Chant among them. Under the baton of Dennis Russell Davies the renowned, refined piano soloist Polina Osetinskaya will present herself in our country for the first time – and in three compositions at that. Beethoven’s unique Choral Fantasy for piano, chorus and orchestra captivates the listener by a juncture of concertante and cantata elements. Pärt’s equally extraordinary Credo, considered perhaps the most dramatic piece of his, is comprehended as a key to the insight into his stylistic transformation. Referring to the foundations of Christianity it stands as a symbol of truth and beauty. During its premiere in Tallinn the performance triggered both sensation and shock. The Poem of Fire by Alexander Scriabin freely follows the Prometheus myth; it starts with the chord which later was labeled as “mystic”. The composer was convinced that his music could bring about the unification of the disintegrated world.
Dennis Russell Davies
Polina Osetinskaya, photo Elena Galiaskarova
Jan Rozehnal, photo Alexander Trizuljak
Brno Philharmonic
Slovak Philharmonic Choir, photo Jan Lukas