Fantastic finality
Katarzyna Jackowska
Szczecin Philharmonic
In these works, Mozart, Liszt, and Berlioz explore themes of death, fate, and obsession -each in their own way, in a different era and form.
The overture to Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of music history's most recognizable operatic openings. It was composed in October 1787, just days before the Prague premiere of the entire opera. It begins with a dark, dramatic D minor chord that foreshadows the later appearance of the Commendatore-the man killed by the title character who returns as a ghost. After the opening, the tension quickly dissipates, giving way to lively, theatrical, almost dance-like music. In this overture, Mozart captures the full complexity of his opera: dread, lightness, wit, and precise structure.
Ferenc Liszt's Totentanz -Dance of Death- was composed over many years and reached its final form in 1849. It's a concert paraphrase of the famous medieval Dies Irae motif, which the composer transforms into a cycle of variations for piano and orchestra. Liszt juxtaposes extremes: medieval austerity with Romantic virtuosity and Gregorian chant with orchestral effects. Totentanz demands technical skill from the pianist and musical sensitivity to balance-a work poised between concerto and spectacle. It will be performed in Szczecin by Tymoteusz Bies, one of the most intriguing young Polish pianists.
