Opening Concert
Jan Mráček, Violin / Lukáš Klánský, Piano Winner of the 2014 Fritz Kreisler Competition
The opening concert will feature violinist Jan Mráček, first-prize winner of the 2014 Fritz Kreisler Competition, performing alongside Lukáš Klánský on piano. The two musicians have been collaborating closely both domestically and internationally since 2008. The performances of these two artists are characterized by a lightness and a deeply emotional interpretation of the music.
Program
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
Sonata in F Major
Allegro vivace
Adagio
Allegro vivace
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Scherzo FAE
Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904)
Four Romantic Pieces
“Drobnosti” Op. 75
Allegro moderato
Allegro maestoso
Allegro appassionato
Larghetto
Bedrich Smetana (1824–1884)
From My Homeland (Z Domoviny)
Moderato
Andantino – Moderato
Program Details
The manuscript of Felix Mendelssohn’s brilliant three-movement Violin Sonata in F major was discovered by Yehudi Menuhin in 1953, 100 years after the composer’s death, and published for the first time. It was a minor sensation, as the composer had not authorized this masterpiece for publication. It is the most mature work of its kind, composed in 1838. Although there is a certain contrast throughout this sonata between the outward effect and the depth of feeling, the three movements fit well together and come together to form a unified whole. The sequence of notes F. A. E. was known as the general motto of the violinist Joseph Joachim, standing for “Free but lonely.” His concert in Düsseldorf inspired Robert Schumann, together with his student Albert Dietrich and Johannes Brahms, who was staying with him as a guest, to compose a surprise gift in the form of a violin sonata. The meaningful dedication on the manuscript read: F. A. E. – In anticipation of the arrival of the esteemed and beloved friend Joseph Joachim … The scherzo was not published as a standalone composition until 1906, 53 years after its creation! The complete work took another three decades to be published. Antonín Dvořák composed his cycle of Four Romantic Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 75, in January 1887. These four pieces are arranged from his earlier composition, a trio for two violins and viola, known as Miniatures. After a first performance with the violinist Karel Ondřiček in Prague, the composer reported to his publisher: “Played here yesterday and was very well received.” The wonderful mood pieces bear the typical characteristics of the Bohemian folk spirit. The two-movement work composed for violin in 1880, with the poetic title Z Domoviny (From My Homeland), can be understood as a virtuoso miniature of the great orchestral cycle Ma Vlast (My Homeland), which Bedřich Smetana had completed a year earlier. Both works were composed during the years when his complete deafness overshadowed his creative joy. Since 1876, he had been living with his daughter Žofie and her family in a forest house belonging to Count Alexander von Thurn und Taxis. The count’s son was a skilled violinist who had commissioned these two compositions for himself, as they require considerable technical skill on the violin. The work captivates not only through its virtuosity but also through its lovely, song-like melodies intertwined with dramatic expression.