The opening of the 70th anniversary season of the Józef Elsner Opole Philharmonic will take place on 1 October 2021 at 7.00 p.m. The Opole Philharmonic Orchestra will perform under the baton of Przemysław Neumann alongside the winner of the Chopin Competition, Charles Richard-Hamelin.
When Mozart and Schikaneder enjoyed the success of the premiere of The Magic Flute in 1791, Józef Elsner, patron of the Opole Philharmonic, visited (and most likely applauded Mozart's triumph) in Vienna. Seventeen years later – perhaps inspired by the light form of singspiel – he composed a vaudeville entitled Echo in the Woods. The programme overture to this operatic comedy of errors was performed in 1952 during the concert inaugurating the activity of the Opole Symphony Orchestra. The opening of the 70th anniversary season of the Opole Philharmonic with the same sounds is a tribute to everyone to whom the Philhramonic owe the existence and rich history of this institution.
On the eve (literally!) of the 18th Chopin Competition, the music of the most famous Polish composer – Piano Concerto in F minor, classical in form and poetic in expression – will be performed by Charles Richard-Hamelin, 2nd prize winner of the previous edition of the Competition. The second part of the evening will be filled with Johannes Brahms’s Symphony No. 3 – a work famous for its lyrical, nostalgic third movement (Poco allegretto). The motif from this movement has been used many times in film and popular music, with Frank Sinatra’s song Take My Love (recorded in 1950) being the most popular example.
Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.
Ticket information: www.filharmonia.opole.pl