On 7 October, the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic will inaugurate the 2022/2023 season. This evening, in the Main Hall of the National Forum of Music, works by composers born in the 19th century: Hector Berlioz, Felix Mendelssohn and Richard Strauss will be played. The orchestra will be conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero, and the soloist will be an acclaimed violinist of Lithuanian origin, Julian Rachlin.

The concert will begin with the sounds of one of the most appreciated works of the French composer Hector Berlioz – the Carnaval Romain, which is in fact a concert overture. The work was created between 1843 and 1844, and its premiere was received with genuine enthusiasm. The overture delights with the charm of its melody, perfect instrumentation and a cheerful character that immediately brings to mind the playful madness of a carnival ball. The work will be preceded by the Violin Concerto in E minor by Felix Mendelssohn – a late work by this Romantic artist. The idea to create a concerto was mentioned in 1838 in the composer’s letter to Ferdinand David – an outstanding violinist and concertmaster of the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester. Mendelssohn was not a professional violinist, so when he wanted to solve a technical problem, he often consulted David, who eventually became the first performer of the piece. Soon the work gained enormous fame and became one of the most popular concertos of the Romantic era.

The evening will end with the sounds of a symphonic poem by Richard Strauss entitled Ein Heldenleben. The work has its own programme, telling in a metaphorical way the story of a hero fighting for peace. Moreover, the composition is kept in the key of E flat major, which gives the work a truly heroic character. The individual movements are intended to depict, on the one hand, the hero’s enemies and, on the other, his friends, the scene of the ultimate confrontation between the forces of good and evil, and a farewell to the world. Strauss enriched the musical material of the poem with quotations referring to two other works he penned: Don Juan and the Tod und Verklärung.