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05 January 2024 Szczecin (Poland)
Presidential Concert | Gershwin | Bernstein
Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rune Bergmann - Filharmonia Szczecin, Symphony Hall
Program Info: Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra Rune Bergmann, conductor Aleksander Dębicz - piano
Presidential concerts have already become a tradition at the Philharmonic. As every year, together with the Mayor of Szczecin , we are pleased to invite you to an extraordinary evening, this time with the best American music , including film music . The program included three excellent songs, well known to all music lovers and fans of the big screen.
The concert will begin with a suite from the music to the film Samson and Delilah by Victor Young (1899-1956), for which the composer was nominated for an Oscar in 1951. The film itself became the biggest blockbuster of 1950. Young was one of the most sought-after film music composers in Hollywood in his time. He wrote music for the biggest hits of the big screen at that time, such as The Nowhere Rider , Johnny Guitar , For Whom the Bell Tolls , Around the World in 80 Days and Gulliver's Travels . However, few people know that this excellent composer learned this art in... Warsaw. Young was a graduate of the Warsaw Conservatory and studied in the composition class of Professor Roman Statkowski. Also in Poland, under the name Wiktor Jung, he made his debut as a violinist at the Warsaw Philharmonic.
The next one to be heard in the golden hall will be the famous Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin (1898-1937). Written for piano and orchestra, it was commissioned by the famous jazz musician Paul Whiteman, who, together with his orchestra, premiered this piece on February 12, 1924. Rhapsody in Blue is thoroughly American music, and the composer himself called it the musical kaleidoscope of America.
The circumstances in which the work was created are no less intriguing than the work itself. Just like in science, in music, a composer's epiphany often comes at the least expected moment. There are less than five weeks until the premiere and Gershwin has not yet written a single note. The more nervously he thought about the piece, the less inspiration he found. The long-awaited musical eureka moment suddenly appeared while the composer was traveling by train. He later recalled: the mechanical rhythm [of the train], those knocks and bangs... It often turns out that noise is an inspiration for composers. I myself often hear music in the heart of noise. And it was then, on that train, that I suddenly heard, and even saw on paper, the entire structure of Rhapsody, from beginning to end . The premiere of the piece turned out to be a spectacular success, and the piano part was performed by the composer himself. In the golden hall, it will be played for you by Aleksander Dębicz , not only an excellent keyboard master, but also... a composer of theater and film music. It is difficult to find a better interpreter of Gershwin's famous rhapsody in Poland. in 2022 For the prestigious Warner Classics label, the artist recorded the album Sideways , which included, among others: original interpretations of two classic works by Bach and Gershwin. And what does Rhapsody in Blue have to do with cinema? Just three years after Gershwin's death, a biographical film about him with the same title was released. The song itself has appeared and still appears in major film productions. The last of them was The Great Gatsby with Leonardo DiCaprio in the main role (2013).
We will end the evening with a bang - Symphonic Dances from the musical West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990). While there have been many modern adaptations of Shakespeare's famous tragedy Romeo and Juliet , none can compete with West Side Story . This phenomenal musical, created on Broadway in 1957, turned out not only to be a great success (it was performed over seven hundred times in just two years), but also became a part of American culture like no other. Shakespeare's Montecchi and Capuletti were replaced by rival gangs of teenagers. Tony and Maria - the main characters of this story - as you can guess, are connected by forbidden love, because each of them lives in a district belonging to a different gang. The performance made extensive use of contemporary dance and ballet, showing not only the love between Tony and Maria, but also gang wars. Without Bernstein's excellent music, this endeavor would never have been successful. West Side Story was quickly adapted into a film (1961), which, like the musical, was a great success. Sixty years later, in 2021, there is another one.
In 1961, the composer combined dance sequences from the musical to create a suite titled Symphonic Dances from West Side Story . The premiere of this dance suite took place in December 1961. It was first played by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Lukas Foss. Leonard Bernstein recorded it the following year. will play it for you in our golden hall The Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra , led by its chief conductor and artistic director of the Philharmonic, maestro Rune Bergmann .
Victor Young - Suite from the music for the film Samson and Delilah George Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue Leonard Bernstein - Symphonic dances from the musical West Side Story
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