October 06th | Dmitry Sitkovetsky with Silesian Chamber Orchestra in Poland
On October 6th, the Silesian Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of the jury member of the XI Grzegorz Fitelberg International Conductors’ Competition, violinist, and conductor Dmitry Sitkovetsky, will present a concert previewing this event. It will be an evening of new discoveries and surprising arrangements. The program will feature works by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Benjamin Britten, and compositions by Fryderyk Chopin and Johann Sebastian Bach arranged by Dmitry Sitkovetsky.
The first item on the program, Bach Dance Suite No. 1, is an exceptionally intriguing proposal prepared by Dmitry Sitkovetsky himself. It is a transcription of Johann Sebastian Bach's works, combined into a suite of dances arranged for a string orchestra. In seven parts, there will be quotations from: Partita No. 5 in G major BWV 829, French Suite No. 5 in G major BWV 816, English Suite No. 3 in G minor BWV 808, and Partita No. 2 in D minor BWV 1004.
In the second part will be performed Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's Violin Concerto in D minor, in which the solo part will be performed by Dmitry Sitkovetsky, of course. The D minor concerto was composed by the thirteen-year-old Mendelssohn but was only published after his death. This was all thanks to the violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin, who took care of the arrangement and publication of the work. Thus, the concerto was premiered by Menuhin in 1952 at Carnegie Hall in New York. The work consists of three parts: Allegro, Andante, and Allegro. Although it is less popular today than the E minor Concerto, it will surely captivate the audience with its romantic character.
On this evening, you will also have the opportunity to hear a piece from the Polish repertoire thanks to Dmitry Sitkovetsky's arrangement of Fryderyk Chopin's Prelude in D-flat major. Prelude No. 15, known as the "Raindrop Prelude," is one of Chopin's most recognizable preludes. Known for many outstanding performances in its original piano version, this time it will be heard in an orchestral arrangement, revealing completely new colours of this melody to the audience.
To conclude, the Silesian Philharmonic will perform one of Benjamin Britten's most popular orchestral compositions. In the Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, a theme drawn from the second of Three Idylls for String Quartet by Britten's teacher will be heard in ten transformations of the main motif, which will first appear in the solo violin part. It will be presented successively in: Adagio, March, Romance, Aria italiana, Bourrée classique, Viennese Waltz, Moto perpetuo, Funeral March, Song, and in the final Fugue.
Program:
- D. Sitkovetsky Bach Dance Suite No. 1 - F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. posth. - F. Chopin Prelude in D-flat major, Op. 28 No. (arr. for string orchestra by D. Sitkovetsky) - B. Britten Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge
