Euphoric Night

España, full of southern sensuality, is a rhapsody for orchestra and Emmanuel Chabrier's most famous piece. Though it lasts just six minutes, it encompasses the rhythms of Spanish dances like the malagueña and the jota, with moments played at a dizzying pace as well as more lyrical fragments. If we trust Manuel de Falla's opinion, no composer has captured the spirit of Aragon better than Chabrier.

The lively and vibrant rhythms are also abundant in the Euphory Concerto-the only concerto for euphonium and orchestra in Polish musical literature. Comprising three strongly contrasting movements, this piece by Adam Wesołowski premiered as recently as 2019. Wesołowski also composed the Gliss Concerto to showcase the rich colours of the trombone. It is an incredibly spectacular piece, with virtuosic passages demanding great skill from the performer and filled with musical humour and captivating melodiousness.

The evening will conclude with two suites from Georges Bizet's opera Carmen. Today, it is the second most frequently performed opera in the world. It's hard to believe that Bizet never witnessed its success, as it was relatively quickly removed from the stage. Only the suites from Carmen, orchestrated by Ernest Guiraud, propelled the work to the heights of fame. Johannes Brahms once said: I would go to the end of the world to embrace Bizet for 'Carmen'. Most music lovers would undoubtedly be eager to do the same.

Gliss concerto by Wesołowski performed by Jarosław Meisner and the Sinfonietta Cracovia Orchestra conducted by Hobart Earle:

Excerpt from Bizet's Suite No. 1 Carmen performed by the Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin: