Performers
Slovak Philharmonic
Slovak Philharmonic Choir (female voices)
Wayne Marshall conductor, organ
Peter Rezník choirmaster
Program
Francis Poulenc
Concerto for organ, strings and timpani in G minor, Op. 36
Gustav Holst
The Planets, Op. 32
Concerto for organ, string orchestra, and timpani in G minor, Op. 36 by Francis Poulenc (1899 – 1963) a member of the renowned French group Le Six (The Six), was composed between 1934 and 1938. The composition oscillates between ominous Gothic grandeur, Parisian street charm, and intimate religious contemplation. The Planets, Op. 32, the most famous work by British composer Gustav Holst (1874 – 1934), is a seven-part orchestral suite that the composer wrote between 1914 and 1916. Each movement represents one of the planets of the solar system at that time (excluding Earth) and bears a subtitle expressing its astrological and psychological character. The menacing music of the first movement Mars has inspired many film composers (such as John Williams’s Star Wars). British-Maltese conductor Wayne Marshall is a regular guest of our premier orchestra.