At the new concert, as part of the “Premieres” series of the Radio Television of Serbia’s Symphonic Orchestra, Svetlana Maksimovic’s piece “Reflections”, originated as a creative reflection of the atmosphere and thoughts on the life of composers, author’s colleagues who have passed away in the past three years, will be performed for the first time. Through her music she brings to life the diversities, as well as the numerous common points, on the long road from the student days up until the most recent days. As she herself states: “Some have lived with the music, some have lived in the music, and for some music was their life. As much as it was possible, in one extended moment in time, I recorded pieces of the atmosphere and thoughts after their departure”. The piece “Reflections” was written from December of year 2017 until May of year 2018.

On the same night, a young artist, pianist Alexander Sinchuk, will also be presenting himself to the audience, as a soloist in Edvard Grieg’s “Concerto for piano and orchestra”, which also happens to be one of the most popular piano literature concertos. Grieg had written this piece when he was 24 years old and it is the only piano concerto which he had fully completed. It is often compared to Schumann’s “Piano Concerto”. There are two reasons for this. The first reason is the fact that they both belong to the same tonality. The second reason, perhaps a more truthful one, is connected to the fact that Grieg was delighted with Clara Schumann’s interpretation, having once listened to her as a soloist in Schumann’s “Concerto”. Whether it was because of Clara or because of Schumann’s beautiful music, the influence of the famous German composer is recognized in the piece. The “Concerto” itself reflects Grieg’s affinity towards Norwegian folk music. Numerous motives, intervals and ambient sounds are borrowed from this country’s folklore. At its premiere in Copenhagen in year 1869, the piece was performed by Edmund Neupert, which was a surprise, since Grieg himself was an exceptional pianist.

Along with these two pieces, “Symphony in D minor”, the only composition belonging to this genre in Cesar Franck’s opus, will also be presented at the concert. One could argue that fate, in its particular way, had meddled in this fact. Specifically, the first symphony which Franck had actually heard in his life was Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony”, the famous piece known for its starting motive described as the sound of “fate knocking at the door”. This left such an enormous impact on young Franck that he almost ran out of the Société Nationale de Musique concert hall where the concert was being held. It took him as much as 50 years to take on the challenge of the great musical form that is the symphony. The fact that he has only written one piece from this grand genre confirms the greatness and the strength of the impression which “The Fifth” had left on him. Even though both the audience and the critics at the time had been quite reserved towards the “Symphony in D minor”, it is today one of the leading pieces from the late romantic symphonic repertoire.

The Radio Television of Serbia’s Symphonic Orchestra, performing at the concert which will be held on the 1st of June at 8 pm, in the Grand Hall of the Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment, will be directed by Ronald Zollman.

Tickets are on sale at the Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment box office.