| Slovak Philharmonic Ryusuke Numajiri conductor Marian Lapšanský piano Ivan Gajan piano |
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| Frederick Delius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Robert Schumann |
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra No. 10 in E flat, K. 365 Symphony No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 38 Spring |
The name Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a term that makes everyone perk up regardless of whether they are inclined towards “classical music” or not. At his core, Mozart was primarily a person who enjoyed having fun and savoring the positives of life. This is also reflected in his sparkling Concertos for two and for three pianos and orchestra. The Concerto for two pianos was completed at the beginning of 1779, during a period when, following the death of his beloved mother, he had to return to Salzburg on his father’s orders. Since Mozart had been performing with his sister Nannerl from a young age, playing concerts together on two or one piano was a routine matter in the Mozart family.
The opening orchestral fanfare, underpinned by the verse of the poet Adolf Böttger “O turn, O turn and change your course – In the valley spring blooms forth!,” confirms that Robert Schumann was seeking his symphonic place between Beethoven and Schubert. The composer originally gave the individual movements of the symphony programmatic titles: Spring’s Arrival, Evening, Merry Playmates, Spring in Full Bloom; but he later discarded this idea. The symphonic poem by English composer Frederick Delius also has a spring undertone. The baton over the Slovak Philharmonic will be taken by the artistic director of Biwako Hall and the music director of Tokyo Mitaka Philharmonia, Ryusuke Numajiri. Nestors of the Slovak piano school, Ivan Gajan, and the former director of the Slovak Philharmonic, Marian Lapšanský, will sit behind the piano.