WILLIAM TELL AND THE LEGENDS OF THE RHINE

Košice State Philharmonic
Radek BABORÁK , conductor and French horn

Program:

Gioachino Rossini: William Tell, prelude to the opera 12'
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Concerto for horn and orchestra no. 3 in E flat major, K. 447 18´
Robert Schumann: Symphony no. 3 in E flat major, Op. 97, "Rhine". 35'

William Tell is Rossini's last stage work, whose libretto is based on Friedrich Schiller's famous drama and differs in character from Rossini's other operas. The dramatic moments of the text deepened Rossini's light and usually lighthearted music bursting with humor, which often achieves a surprising effect with the simplest technical means. The prelude forms a kind of miniature symphonic poem, while its content contains several moody images that connect with the main currents of the dramatic action.

Horn Concerto No. 3 in E flat major was written by Mozart as a friendly gesture towards the horn player Joseph Leutgeb and completed between 1784 and 1787. It is composed in the classical concert format of two fast movements with a slow movement in the middle. The concerto is an example of Mozart's fascinating creativity in modeling fresh melodic lines. This work, like Mozart's other concertos for this instrument, is a charming testament to the consummate skill of Mozart's instrumental mastery.

Schumann's Symphony No. 3 in E flat major was composed in the span of a single month at the end of 1850. While the main theme of the first movement sounds in full brilliance and is carried in a celebratory atmosphere, the secondary theme is lyrical and graceful. The mild second part flows in the spirit of a stylized period ländler dance as a tribute to the picturesque landscape that surrounded the author. The third part presents a gentle nocturne in a meditative atmosphere, and the fourth brings very colorful surfaces. The closing finale is extremely lively and dynamic, sharply contrasting with the previous musical development. Its joyous, folk-inspired melody guides the symphony to its emotionally powerful and captivating climax.