Melody of Heaven

“High upon the hill there stands a castle, where a wealthy princess lives. The forest bows before her, roses bloom for her, she lives among sunshine and flowers!” Following Stanisław Moniuszko’s concert overture Fairy Tale, the actual story begins: the adventures of Princess Basia, told through a cycle of eight orchestral variations for soprano and orchestra to words by Janina Gillowa.

Princess Basia would fit perfectly into our own times, for she is constantly dissatisfied without ever quite knowing why. Neither the cherry orchard nor the white cat that rubs affectionately against her, neither the winking parrot nor the clown on stilts performing comical tricks – nothing, absolutely nothing, can brighten the mood of this gloomy young princess, who spends her days sighing as she gazes out of her chamber window.

At last, in an act of utter desperation, she flees the castle and wanders into a frightening forest. There, the emotional strain proves too much, and she falls asleep – presumably still profoundly unhappy.

By a wonderful twist of fate, the princess stumbles upon a celebration hosted not by seven, as one might expect, but by... eighty dwarfs! Unfortunately, the story’s creators’ efforts still fail to produce the desired effect, and Basia remains sad. You can probably guess that three cheerful lake nymphs do little to improve the situation either.

Just when it seems that we shall be admiring Maliszewski’s orchestral craftsmanship until dawn, delighting in the musical depictions of ever more inventive attempts to cheer up the capricious young heroine, help finally arrives for both the exhausted princess and us in the form of a good fairy. “You were troubled, my little one, because you did not know how to sing!” With a touch of the fairy’s magic wand, the eighth variation brings a happy ending. Princess Basia rediscovers her joy in life, and the remedy turns out to be music-making itself-a message we at the Philharmonic wholeheartedly endorse in every possible way.

This evening, however, is not simply a charming bedtime story. It is also another opportunity to encounter the music of Witold Maliszewski. Przemysław Neumann – scholar, advocate, editor, and interpreter of the composer’s works – will lead our Orchestra with his characteristic flair, drawing on every shade, colour, and expressive possibility of the ensemble.

And perhaps the moral of the story is really addressed to all of us. The next time you find yourself feeling melancholy for no particular reason, try singing your favourite melodies. If you do, the good fairy may well work her magic for you, too.