Dresdner Philharmonie

Programme: Alexander Borodin "Polovtsian Dances" from the opera "Prince Igor" Alexander Arutjunjan Concerto for Trumpet in A-flat major Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov "Scheherazade" - Symphonic Suite from "One Thousand and One Nights" Aram Khachaturian "Lezginka" from the ballet "Gayane" Alexander Borodin was actually a chemist. Often, he composed late at night or in between his experiments, including the famous Polovtsian Dances, which actually belong to his opera "Prince Igor." However, he died before he could complete the opera, and his composer "colleagues" Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov eventually brought it to its final version for orchestra. From the former comes another well-known Russian masterpiece: a suite freely based on themes from the collection of tales "One Thousand and One Nights." Sounds like program music? Rimsky-Korsakov himself didn't actually intend to give his work a program, but for those who listen closely, it's easy to recognize that he is portraying four of the stories in the four movements. He has portrayed some motifs very vividly: one is heard right at the beginning, characterizing the brutal Sultan with its powerful sound. The atmosphere of Scheherazade is evoked by the shimmering garlands of the solo violin and the harp. Clearly, she is a sophisticated storyteller who fully masters the art of building tension. And the undulating sea is omnipresent in this work. Thus, a musical panorama of opulent splendor is created. The Trumpet Concerto in A-flat major by Alexander Arutiunian is characterized by the fusion of classical concerto form with Armenian folk music. Notable are the cantabile melodies, rhythmic vitality, dance elements, and a brilliant, simultaneously lyrical trumpet voice that combines virtuosity with a folkloric character.