Thu, 19. 1. 2023, 7.00 p.m.

A4 BAROQUE INSPIRATION

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

Our fourth Subscription Series A concert presents a fascinating German and French programme harking back to traditional musical forms and the legacy of the great masters of Baroque and the Classical period.

The evening begins with J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor in the notable transcription by the English conductor Leopold Stokowski. Mozart's C-major Oboe Concerto, which follows, was written in 1777 for the eminent oboist Giuseppe Ferlendis, and is one of that instrument's repertoire stalwarts with its rich melodies, pleasing tunefulness, clean harmonies and flawless structure. The Zlín philharmonic orchestra will be accompanying the soloist Martin Daněk, a former winner of the Prague Spring competition.

The second half of our programme presents French keyboard works by two of the greatest exponents of musical impressionism - Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Debussy began writing his Suite Bergamasque in 1890, taking inspiration from Paul Verlaine's poetry. This was originally a piano suite in four movements intended to reflect the grandeur and elegance of French Baroque harpsichord music. The work was arranged for orchestra in 1953 by Gustave Cloëz and Andre Caplet.

Our final piece this evening, Maurice Ravel's Tombeau de Couperin written in 1917, was also originally a Neo-Classical piano suite of earlier French dances in six movements, each dedicated to one of Ravel's fellow combatants in the war. Two years later, the composer produced an orchestral version in four movements. The work, in the style of a Baroque instrumental suite, features elaborate orchestral parts and has been likened to an orchestral concerto.