| Slovak Philharmonic Martin Leginus conductor Milan Paľa violin |
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| Ernő von Dohnányi Antonín Dvořák |
Violin Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 43 Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70 |
Ernő von Dohnányi moved from his native Prešpork to America in 1925-1927 after his studies and long-term work in Budapest. The chief conductor of the New York State Orchestra built friendships here, as demonstrated by his dedication of the Second Violin Concerto to the American violinist Frances Magnes. The premiere of this concerto took place in 1951 at Carnegie Hall. The piece was created during Dohnányi’s residency at the University of Florida in Tallahassee, where the composer sought shelter after being repeatedly and unjustifiably accused of sympathizing with fascism. On this current concert, the renowned Slovak violinist Milan Paľa will showcase a more traditional violin piece to the Bratislava audience. The seventh symphony was composed during a relatively challenging period in the life of the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. In his personal life he experienced pain over the loss of his closest people, a situation was further aggravated by the unfavorable social situation in Bohemia. Alongside the reverberations of a family tragedy, this symphony incorporates essential patriotic notes in the fight against the Habsburgs. Thanks to the overall concept, profound content, and expertly executed formal structure, the Seventh Symphony belongs to the pinnacle of Dvořák’s work and to the pinnacle of the post-Beethoven development of the symphonic genre.