Wojciech Kilar, Orawa
Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto no. 3 in C minor, op. 37
Sergei Prokofiev, Symphony no. 5
The Newport Symphony Season concludes with true masterpieces of the repertoire.
We start the evening with a piece for strings alone entitled Orawa. Written by polish composer Wolciech Kilar, the music was inspired by a highlander band from Poland's Tatra mountains. Listen closely for the rhythms of the region that lean in to a majestic flourish and a highlander exclamation.
This evening's soloist, pianist David Korevaar, will delight you with Beethoven's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3. With his third piano concerto, the composer took advantage of the instrument's newly expanded range beyond the standard five octaves. He composed the solo part all the way up to the the high G. It is thought that this was the first concerto ever to call for that particular note. Beethoven's third piano concerto stands not only as a great work in its own right, but also as a document relating to the evolution of the instrument. We know you'll enjoy it!
There may not be a better way to conclude the symphonic season than with Sergei Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5. This is truly an epic masterwork! Prokofiev wrote this piece in the shadow of World War II. His wife and he were forced into seclusion and only permitted to return to Moscow in 1944, the next year the symphony premiered with the composer conducting. As he raised his baton, artillery salvos thundered, symbolizing the end of the war. Prokofiev waited until the cannons were silent before lowering his arm for the first downbeat. The composer wrote, "The fifth symphony was intended as a hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit. I cannot say that I deliberately chose this theme. It was born in me and clamored for expression."
