Czech weekend | Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra

In addition to the common denominator of the composers' nationalities, the two orchestral works also conceal interesting stories of their struggles with music, its form and inspiration. Both Dvořák and Martinů must have spent many hours on the scores, racked by many doubts and conflicting emotions. Even geniuses sometimes encounter Gordian knots.

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G minor, Op. 33 is the only piano concerto by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. I see that I can't write a concerto for a virtuoso, so I have to think of other things - this statement justifies the many corrections, deletions, cuts and additions made to the manuscript of the piano part. The result is a surprising piece in which the solo part is intertwined with the orchestral part, rather than - as is always the case - being opposed to it. Even so, it is maddeningly difficult to play - it has been described as "unplayable" or "written for two right hands." Since its premiere in 1878, various revisions and versions have been created to make it easier for soloists to prepare and perform the piece, which has been met with enthusiasm from audiences around the world.

Bohuslav Martinů shied away from writing a symphony for decades. In Europe, it was considered an obsolete genre. Only after emigrating to the US in 1941 did the composer recognize that if he wanted to stand on the musical podium, he had to create repertoire for the big American orchestras, for whom performing symphonies was the daily bread. Shortly thereafter, a commission arrived from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which specializes in recent music. The first movement of the new symphony was written in Jamaica, the second and third in the state of Vermont, and the last in Massachusetts. The work calls for lofty thoughts, Martinů wrote in the program book for the premiere. Undoubtedly, both works brought many of them, both for composers and performers.