Thu, 17. 10. 2024, 19.00 hrs

A2 KARVAY AND SMBATYAN

Venue: Zlín Congress Centre  |  Organizer: Filharmonie Bohuslava Martinů, o.p.s.  |  Price: 390,- 330,- 280,-

Two leading artists in their fields, the Slovak violinist Dalibor Karvay and Sergey Smbatyan, the artistic director and chief conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, combine their skills in a concert of works by close friends and illustrious composers Johannes Brahms and Antonín Dvořák.

Brahms' only violin concerto received its first public performance on 1st January 1879 in Leipzig to a mixed reception, with some enthusiastically celebrating the work, while others disparaged it, deeming it difficult to play, even labelling the work not as a concerto "for violin" but "against the violin". Despite the negative comments, however, the concerto soon found its way onto many concert stages and is today a staple in the repertoire of almost all the world's violin virtuosi.

The Sixth Symphony is undoubtedly one of the highlights of Dvořák's symphonic output in what is known as his Slavic period. It was inspired by Johannes Brahms's Second Symphony, written three years earlier, with both works sharing not only the same key, metre, tempo markings and orchestral scoring, but also similar in their mood. Dvořák's Sixth stands out for the composer's typically rich and song-like melodic structure, expressive variety, rhythmic vibrancy and full, colourful orchestral sound. Drawing inspiration from Czech folk music (especially the use of the furiant folk dance in the third movement), it is often described by some as his "Czech" symphony.