JOHANNES BRAHMS
Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56a
SAMUEL BARBER
Cello Concerto, Op. 22
MICHAL NEJTEK
The Basement Sketches, a symphony for orchestra and piano, commissioned by Filharmonie Brno, world premiere
Matt Haimovitz cello
Nikol Bóková piano
Filharmonie Brno
conductor Dennis Russell Davies
A detailed view from the basement
“The work’s title, The Basement Sketches, might evoke a combination of Czech philosopher Egon Bondy’s Basement Works and Miles Davis’s Sketches of Spain, but – though I do like both – neither served as inspiration for my composition. So, then, why this title? Perhaps because I enjoy looking at the sketched material from below (from the basement), from a worm’s-eye view so to speak, in close-up that reveals all sorts of things, every detail (easily overlooked from top). The Basement Sketches is a work in five movements, with an important part for the piano, which mostly sticks to the score, only to suddenly improvise on previously heard material in the middle of the piece, remixing, as it were, the music that’s already been played. From this moment on, the motifs already used begin to return in various constellations and variants. The work returns to itself, to the beginning – and yet the ending is different. The piece is dedicated to Filharmonie Brno and to Chief Conductor Dennis Russell Davies.” Michal Nejtek
Let us add that the premiere was originally scheduled for June 2020; alas, the government restrictions connected with the coronavirus pandemic prevented it from taking place. We hope that this time the performance of Mr Nejtek’s piece works out: the score promises a powerful experience.
The American composer Samuel Barber (1910–1981) is, of course, the creator of not just the famous Adagio for Strings, which has become a classical hit, but also of many other wonderful works. Considered one of the 20th-century cardinal works for the cello, his Cello Concerto, Op. 22 will be performed by Matt Haimovitz, a “ferociously talented cellist who brings his megawatt sound and uncommon expressive gifts to a vast variety of styles” (The New York Times).
