DVOŘÁK & SIBELIUS

Dvořák's Violin Concerto in A minor and Sibelius's First Symphony in E minor, two important works of Czech, respectively of Finnish romanticism, with the Brno Philharmonic will be staged and performed by the Danish conductor Michael Schønwandt, who is returning to Brno to continue the planned gradual performance of the complete Sibelian symphonies (so far he has performed the Second and Fifth here). The British violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky, who collaborated with the Brno Philharmonic in autumn 2022, will perform Korngold's Violin Concerto in D major twice during its tour of Great Britain.
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Violin Concerto in A minor, op. 53
JEAN SIBELIUS Symphony No. 1 in E minor Op. 39
Alexander Sitkovetsky violin
Brno Philharmonic
conductor Michael Schønwandt

Dvořák's Violin Concerto
Antonín Dvořák's Berlin publisher Simrock encouraged him to compose the Violin Concerto in A minor. Dvořák started work in the middle of 1879, and from the beginning he had in mind the famous violinist Joseph Joachim, with whom he consulted for the solo part and who also promised to perform the first concerto. After completion, however, it took Joachim two whole years to send Dvořák minor final revisions. Since at that time Joachim was no longer performing much as a soloist, the young Czech violinist František Ondříček took over the premiere on October 14, 1883. The concerto then became a fundamental work of Czech violin literature and a constant in the repertoire of prominent Czech (Jaroslav Kocian, Jan Kubelík and Josef Suk) and foreign (David Oistrach etc.) violinists.
Sibelius' First Symphony
Thirty-three-year-old Jean Sibelius had already completed several larger works with a proclaimed patriotic accent when he decided to compose his Symphony No. 1 in E minor. At that time, his world of thought was significantly influenced by the Finnish national epic Kalevala, in which he found an intense and deep source of inspiration as a budding composer. However, when he commented on his numbered symphonies, of which he composed seven during his long life (he destroyed the score of the Eight), he emphasized their autonomous nature: My symphonies do not in any way fall within the scope of the Kalevala. Even when composing the First Symphony, I did not think of the Kalevala. The national character of the First Symphony, carried by period romantic ideals, echoes of Finnish folklore and inspired by the peculiar Nordic landscape, is however indisputable. Sibelius' First Symphony was performed for the first time in April 1899 in Helsinki under the baton of the composer. The following year, the orchestra of the Helsinki Philharmonic Society (predecessor of today's Helsinki Philharmonic), conducted by the renowned conductor Robert Kajanus, presented it on a European tour (including a stop in Paris during the World's Fair), the success of which opened the way for Sibelius to international fame.
Alexander Sitkovetsky
a native of Moscow, he studied at the Menuhin School in London from the age of eight. In addition to performing with major orchestras, he is also a founding member of the successful Sitkovetsky Piano Trio and a permanent member of the string quartet led by Julia Fischer.
Michael Schønwandt
he was music director at the Royal Orchestra and the Royal Opera in Copenhagen, chief conductor of the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic and the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. Since 2015, he has been the chief conductor of the Orchestra of the National Opera of Montpellier. He performed Beethoven's complete piano concertos with the London Symphony Orchestra and Alfred Brendel, and made prized recordings with the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra for the Chandos company.