NOSPR / Alsop / Pyc / Nowak / Vondráček - NOSPR

Although Aaron Copland specialised in depictions of rural American life, he occasionally turned his attention to the urban environment. Quiet City, composed in 1940 as incidental music for Irwin Shaw’s play of the same name, stands as an excellent sound portrait of an all-American cityscape. The piece is set at night, hence the title and the delicate timbres which are evocative of flickering lights.

Emerging from an urban milieu himself – albeit of quite a different kind – Richard Strauss in his opera Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose, 1911) constructed an idealised portrait of Mozart’s Vienna through waltzes styled after Johann Strauss the Younger. The opulence and exuberance of this music affirm Wagner’s description of its author as ‘the most musical head’ he had ever encountered. However, Strauss’s mastery of orchestration and narrative had become evident earlier, namely in his tone poem for orchestra entitled Don Juan (1888), which is rightly regarded as the composer’s manifesto of his individual style. Here, the eponymous character is not a mere libertine or deceiver, but a tragic figure in pursuit of an ideal woman – one that offers a fusion of spiritual and erotic perfection. When confronted with disappointment, the protagonist embraces death.

Robert Schumann, in turn, sought music that was as far removed from the superficial and the banal as possible. Did he succeed? In his PianoConcertoinAminor, he most certainly did. There is nothing showy or self-indulgent here. Instead, one finds a fluid narrative, transparent orchestration, beautiful melodic lines, and ecstatic joy interspersed with moments of darkness. These qualities have ensured that the Concerto remains one of the most frequently performed works of its kind.

Piotr Matwiejczuk