On the evening before November 1st, we invite you to a concert that is not merely a reflection on death but, above all, a meditation on transformation. The concert opens with Adagio for Strings by American composer Samuel Barber-one of the most well-known mourning pieces of the 20th century. Although originally written as part of a string quartet, it reveals its full power only in the version for string orchestra. It was this version that resounded after the assassination of President Kennedy, after 9/11, at funerals, and during moments of national tragedy. Yet, it is not the music of despair; instead, it evokes the sound of restrained weeping.
Barber's Adagio for Strings, performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel:
Next, Gustav Mahler's Kindertotenlieder ("Songs on the Death of Children") will be performed-songs set to poems by Friedrich Rückert. Rückert wrote these poems after the death of his two children. Mahler-a composer who, contrary to appearances, was deeply superstitious and anxious-was fascinated by this poetry and composed music to accompany it. The work was composed between 1901 and 1904. Three years later, his beloved daughter Maria Anna (nicknamed Putzi) died at the age of just four. This later tragedy gave Kindertotenlieder an even deeper, almost prophetic meaning. What's more, Alma Mahler, the composer's wife, who had opposed the writing of the cycle from the beginning, accused Mahler of "inviting misfortune." She later wrote that she could not bear to listen to these songs after her daughter's death. So when we speak today of the "personal dimension" of this work, it refers not so much to its autobiographical elements at the time of its composition, but to the fact that Mahler would later experience exactly what he had expressed in music.
Mahler's Kindertotenlieder performed by Ewa Podleś (contralto) and the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk:
The next piece will be Grzegorz Fitelberg's Song of the Falcon, a work based on a short story by Maxim Gorky. It tells the story of a wounded falcon who comes under the care of a man. The falcon could stay, recover, and live. But he refuses. As soon as he regains his strength, he flies away and dies because freedom is more important to him than safety. Fitelberg's music expresses this drama with extraordinary intensity-it is a poem about choice, not about tragedy.
The concert will conclude with Richard Strauss's Tod und Verklärung ("Death and Transfiguration"), a symphonic poem about the final moments in an artist's life. In the first part, we hear the breath of the sick, followed by memories of childhood, youth, love, and struggle. Finally, in the last minutes, a transformation. There is no grand finale, only light. We know that something has reached completion. This concert does not have to be sad because actual music does not say farewell. True music transforms.
Strauss's Tod und Verklärung performed by the WDR Sinfonieorchester under the baton of Cristian Măcelaru:
The vocal parts in the works by Mahler will be performed by Małgorzata Walewska, one of the most outstanding Polish opera singers, whose powerful voice and stage charisma have earned her acclaim on many prestigious opera stages around the world. The Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Przemysław _Neumann.
