Here are three people, all good friends, who just happen also to be amongst their nation’s foremost composers. This evening of Bohemian music is full of variety.
The story goes that Dvořák criticised Suk for being too sombre, and encouraged him to lighten up – Suk responded by writing his Serenade and it became his most popular work. In contrast, Janáček’s Fiddler’s Child is like a whole dramatic opera condensed into 12 minutes – a brooding, tragic ghost story told by violin and orchestra. Swensen closes the evening with Dvořák’s sunny symphony: tuneful, spirited, uplifting music.
Suk: Serenade for Strings in E-Flat
Janáček: The Fiddler’s Child
Dvořák: Symphony No 5
Joseph Swensen: Conductor
Stephanie Gonley: Violin
Kindly supported by Donald and Louise MacDonald
SCO 2019/20: Bohemian Rhapsodies with Joseph Swensen