Tschai­kow­sky – Pro­kof­jew - Glinka

Mikhail Glinka is considered the first composer to strive to make uniquely Russian music. However, the overture to his most well-known opera Ruslan and Ludmila owes much to Western European tradition. It thus anticipates the works of Tchaikovsky, who was often derided in Russia as a "Westerner". After his 5th Symphony was performed in the last season, his 6th, "Pathétique," is now in the programme. His last work sounds at many points like an alternatingly angry and melancholic goodbye to the world. Prokofiev's violin concerto also seeks out a "new simplicity," much like all his earlier works, and a reconciliation of modernity and musical tradition.

PROGRAMME:
Mikhail Glinka: Overture to Ruslan and Ludmila
Sergei Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major Op. 19
Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor Op. 74 (Pathétique)