JÁNOS VAJDA: Titanic – symphonic poem
RICHARD STRAUSS: Four Last Songs
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ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK: The Noon Witch – symphonic poem, Op. 108
FRANZ SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 6 in C major, D. 589

Polina Pasztircsák soprano
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: János Kovács

János Vajda’s (b. 1949) symphonic poem Titanic, composed in 2000, was commissioned by the Danubia Orchestra Óbuda. Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs is not strictly speaking a song cycle, but rather four independent songs written in 1948, during the final period of the composer’s life. Antonín Dvořák’s symphonic poem, The Noon Witch, is also a later work, and was written by the composer as a 55-year-old in 1896. It is rarely performed, just like Schubert’s Symphony No. 6, known as the “Little C major”, which was written at the turn of 1817 and 1818. It is a rich and valuable work, yet is still today overshadowed by the popularity of the Unfinished Symphony and the Ninth, nicknamed the “Great C major”.

János Vajda (b. 1949), whose symphonic poem Titanic references Petőfi’s verse Föltámadott a tenger in its subtitle “Azért a víz az úr” (Yet Water is the Lord), was composed as a commission for the Danubia Orchestra Óbuda. Richard Strauss’s late poetic work, Four Last Songs, is actually four independent songs and is also supported by the verse of great poets: the songs include one poem from the 19th-century poet Joseph von Eichendorff, and three from the 20th-century Hermann Hesse. In this Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra concert, the soprano Polina Pasztircsák – who is celebrated both at home and internationally – will sing Strauss’s masterpieces, which are steeped in the poetry of twilight. The conductor for the concert will be the versatile János Kovács, who is at home in every style and genre. In addition to the two pieces above, he will also conduct one genuine rarity: the symphonic poem The Noon Witch, which was composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1896 at 55 years of age. The final composition on the programme is also far from an overplayed piece: Schubert’s Symphony No. 6, nicknamed “Little C major” is full of energy, momentum, effervescence and invention, yet its popularity fades in comparison to the unbroken cult around two of Schubert’s other symphonies, the Unfinished Symphony in B minor and the Ninth, known as the “Great C major”.