The West Australian Symphony Orchestra is preparing for its next major concert, featuring a performance of Schumann’s Cello Concerto.
The upcoming concerts on 26 and 27 June will feature four works. Alongside Schumann’s much-loved concerto, there will also be performances of music by Sibelius, Haydn and Brahms.
Bringing Schumann’s concerto to life will be French cellist Ivan Karizna, making his first appearance with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra will be led by conductor Otto Tausk.
Schumann’s Cello Concerto was composed in just two weeks in October 1850. It was never publicly performed during the composer’s lifetime. Schumann died in 1856, aged just 46. The concerto was first performed in 1860, four years after his death. The work comprises three movements, which are played without breaks, as the composer disliked applause interrupting the flow of the music.
Joseph Haydn’s The Creation (Die Schöpfung) is an oratorio written in 1797 and 1798. It features soprano, tenor and bass soloists, a chorus and an orchestra, and was first performed in 1799. The work is inspired by the Biblical Book of Genesis.
The Swan of Tuonela is a single-movement tone poem by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It was originally written in 1893, but Sibelius reworked and adapted it several times. Sibelius is considered Finland’s greatest composer and lived to the age of 91, passing away in 1957.
Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 was written in the summer of 1883 and first performed in December of that year by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. It is the shortest of Brahms’ symphonies, usually running for around 35 to 40 minutes.
