Maksymiuk | Schumann Symphonic concert
Maestro Jerzy Maksymiuk will conduct the February concert. Every encounter with this charismatic figure is very important and unforgettable for us! Half a century ago, he won the hearts of music lovers by brilliantly conducting the Polish Chamber Orchestra, and that was just one of his many activities. He has conducted and continues to conduct many ensembles in Poland and abroad, arousing admiration for his inexhaustible, astonishing energy, which seems to radiate onto all the musicians and infect the audience.
Robert Schumann's Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61 (1846) was composed during one of the most difficult periods of the composer's life, marked by illness and inner turmoil – yet it sounds like a story of affirming the strength of spirit and overcoming suffering. The composer created a work combining classical form with deep, spiritual expression. The four-part cycle opens with a quasi-choral introduction, whose motto recurs throughout, binding the entire form together. The lively scherzo contrasts with the focused Adagio in C minor – the emotional centre of the work – and the finale concludes the whole in the bright key of C major, recapitulating earlier motifs. The work is considered one of Schumann's most compact, “Beethovenian” and, at the same time, most personal symphonic achievements. Since its premiere at the Gewandhaus under Mendelssohn's baton, the work has been praised for the beauty of its themes, its rich texture and the clarity of its structure.
Schumann gave fullest expression to his romantic imagination in piano miniatures and songs, but four symphonies and three concertos also occupy an important place in his oeuvre. The Cello Concerto in A minor, which was not performed in public until 1860, ten years after it was composed and four years after the composer's death, surprised listeners with its bold form, intense expression and departure from the conventions of virtuoso display. Schumann, originally planning the title Konzertstück, deliberately argued with the classical model, changing its proportions and strengthening its cyclical unity. Although appreciated over time, this work remains less well known than other Romantic concertos for this instrument. It will be performed by Bartosz Koziak – described as a visionary and poet of the cello, who delights audiences with his interpretations and bold repertoire choices. Highly regarded by Krzysztof Penderecki, he recorded under the baton of the composer and also premiered works by leading contemporary composers. A winner of prestigious competitions, he performs in Europe's most important concert halls and has an extensive, award-winning discography to his credit.
Leaves Falling Here and There (2011) is a moody work by Jerzy Maksymiuk for chamber orchestra and piano (the Maestro himself performs the solo part). It combines an elegiac mood with subtle impressionism. The static, mysterious beginning leads to a more restless middle section, only to fade away in silence in the finale, from which solo strings emerge. The author commented on it as follows (Tygodnik Powszechny, interview with Paweł Piasecki, 2016): “The situation changes somewhat when I write myself; it rarely happens, but, for example, the title Leaves Falling Here and There evokes a specific situation. A pensive man sits down on a bench and distances himself from everything. The leaves begin to fall, and his thoughts begin to take on the colour of autumn. Something has ended, something is beginning (...) I do indeed use specific images, but they have a broader, metaphorical meaning.”