Robert Schumann - Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 54
Edvard Grieg - Symphony in C minor, EG 119
Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis - Symphonic poem "Forest"
Next to one of the most important examples of the symphonic music of the incomparable Lithuanian romantic and symbolist M. K. Čiurlionis, in this concert the listeners will have a rare opportunity to hear the only concerto of R. Schumann for piano and orchestra and the only surviving symphony of E. Grieg in C minor.
Symphonic music always attracted M. K. Čiurlionis: he listened to it at concerts, studied scores and taught himself how to orchestrate. The composer created two symphonic poems "Miške" and "Jūra", but he never had a chance to hear them. 1901 composed symphonic poem "Miške" is his first symphonic work. As musicologist Vytautas Landsbergis wrote, "psychologically, mood prevails in Čiurlionis's poem; not an action, but a special emotional state. The changing flow of time in the music, sometimes pausing, sometimes rushing forward, helps the composer to highlight certain textures and compose drama. Its characters are feelings, movement. The images seem to be diverse, and the movement is essentially only two-fold: a state of seriousness and the intention of anxiety, drive."
The secret of E. Grieg's genius can be partly explained by the fact that he intuitively recognized what was Norwegian, real and charming. His influence on Norwegian composers and the way people in other countries view Norway was and still is unparalleled. in 1867 after creating his first and only symphony, the composer wrote "never to be performed" on the score. Researchers say that this decision of the self-critical composer is related to the premiere of the first symphony of his compatriot Johan Severin Svendsen, because E. Grieg felt that he was inferior, that he was not so good at conveying the Nordic color in his work. After the composer's death, the manuscript went to the Bergen Public Library, which faithfully carried out the creator's last will for more than a century. Only because of the Cold War, the situation suddenly changed: Soviet music received a photocopy of the manuscript, and the conductor Vitaly Kataev in 1980. December. for the first time, without Norwegian consent, performed a complete symphony that was broadcast over the airwaves. The Norwegians reacted quickly and soon regained their national right: already in 1981. The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra performed this piece live.
in 1845 R. Schumann's only piano concerto was completed - one of the most mature works of this composer. The first performer of the concert, Clara Schumann, wrote after the premiere: "how inventive, how interesting from beginning to end, how fresh, what a harmonious whole!" The critics of the time did not spare praise either: "the work avoids the usual monotony of the genre, the orchestral part is performed with great love and care , which is an accompaniment that does not diminish the impression of the piano part and preserves the independence of both parts." The work became one of the most widely performed and recorded piano concertos of the Romantic period. In recordings, it is often played together with E. Grieg's piano concerto written in the same key. It is possible that E. Grieg used R. Schumann's opus as an example when creating his concerto, because these works have many connections.
