Performers
Slovak Philharmonic
Juraj Valčuha conductor
Ester Pavlů mezzosoprano
Program
Ottorino Respighi
Fountains of Rome
Maurice Ravel
Shéhérazade, three songs for singer and orchestra, M. 41
Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 131
The concert, under the baton of our renowned conductor, opens with the symphonic poem Fountains of Rome by the Italian impressionist Ottorino Respighi (1879 – 1936). This is the first and most famous part of the composer’s so-called Roman Trilogy, which also includes the works Roman Pines (1924) and Roman Festivals (1928). The composition musically captures the atmosphere of four iconic Roman fountains at different times of the day. Fountains of Rome was composed in 1915 – 1916, but the work did not achieve worldwide fame until its Milan premiere under the baton of Arturo Toscanini in 1918. Shéhérazade (M. 41) by the brilliant French composer Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937) is a famous song cycle for voice and orchestra composed in 1903. The work is a masterpiece of French musical impressionism and reflects the era’s fascination with the Orient. Symphony No. 7 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131, is the last completed symphonic work by the renowned Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev (1891 – 1953). He composed the work between 1951 and 1952, just one year before his death. In contrast to the composer’s previous dramatic and monumental Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6, this work is characterized by melodic clarity, nostalgia, and a simplified musical language, as it was originally conceived as a composition for a radio broadcast aimed at young people.