Caithness Orchestra Spring Concerts

25th March 2019

See poster for details.

A programme that includes Czech music that you may not have heard before.

Der Freischutz

The orchestra will play the overture from Der Freischütz, Op. 77, J. 277, (usually translated as The Marksman or The Freeshooter is a German opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind. It premiered on 18 June 1821 at the Schauspielhaus Berlin. It is considered the first important German Romanti opera,especially in its national identity and stark emotionality. The plot is based on the German folk legend of the Freischütz and many of its tunes were thought to be inspired by German folk music, but this is a common misconception. Its unearthly portrayal of the supernatural in the famous Wolf's Glen scene has been described as "the most expressive rendering of the gruesome that is to be found in a musical score".

Vltava (The Moldau) by Bedřich Smetana

Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884) is remembered chiefly as a Czech nationalistic composer. His nationalism expressed itself above all in his operas, but he also wrote symphonic tone poems after the example of Franz Liszt. One of them, The Moldau, has become a beloved part of the international orchestral repertoire. He would probably not be happy that it's known by that name. He called it Vltava.

Capriol Suite - Peter Warlock

The Capriol Suite is a set of dances composed in October 1926 by Peter Warlock and is considered one of his most popular works. Originally written for piano duet, Warlock later scored it for both string and full orchestras. According to the composer, it was based on tunes in Thoinot Arbeau's Orchesographie, a manual of Renaissance dances. Nevertheless, Warlock's biographer, Cecil Gray, said that "if one compares these tunes with what the composer has made of them it will be seen that to all intents and purposes it can be regarded as an original work".

The work is dedicated to the Breton composer Paul Ladmirault.

The suite consists of six movements:

Basse-Danse, Allegro moderato, D minor

Pavane, Allegretto, ma un poco lento, G minor

Tordion, Con moto, G minor

Bransles, Presto, G minor

Pieds-en-l'air, Andante tranquillo, G major

Mattachins (Sword Dance), Allegro con brio, F major

The individual movements are very brief; a performance of the suite lasts about 10 minutes.

Symphony in D Major - Paul Wranitzky

Pavel Vranický, later Germanized as Paul Wranitzky (30 December 1756 - 29 September 1808), was a Moravian classical composer.

"The music of [Paul] Wranitzky was in fashion when it was new because of his natural melodies and brilliant style. He treats the orchestra well, especially in symphonies. I recall that, in my youth, his works held up very well in comparison with those of Haydn. Their premature abandonment of today has been for me a source of astonishment." - Belgian violinist and musicologist François Joseph Fetis (1784-1871).

In his day, Paul Wranitzky (1756-1808) was one of the most highly regarded musicians in Europe. Moravian by birth, the composer moved to Vienna as many aspiring musicians did, and quickly achieved status as a remarkable and versatile composer of operas, chamber music, and symphonies.

Once a highly respected and influential musician, Wranitzky is today all but forgotten - overshadowed by his better known contemporaries and friends - Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven.

The musical legacy of Wranitzky is large, yet surprisingly unknown. With 2006 being the composer's 250th anniversary, and 2008 the bicentennial of his death, it is the purpose of this web site to study and promulgate the music of this once famed composer.

Read more at http://www.wranitzky.com/