Dvořák / Mahler / Hrušovský / SchönbergDvořák / Mahler / Hrušovský / Schönberg

Jana Kurucová has “…besides her natural beauty and the flexibility of her mezzo-soprano, she has a profound sense for expressive details, and last but not least, the ability to draw ethereal arches…“ as written by Pavol Unger in his critique of her interpretation of songs from Mahler’s cycle The Boy’s Magic Horn. You will be able to hear the experienced performer this time, who is sporadically seen on our stage in large vocal-instrumental works, in a more intimate setting. She comes with four unique cycles, which are heard only rarely in Slovakia. Antonín Dvořák’s Four Songs with lyrics from the Dvůr Králové Manuscript, Op. 7 represent a breakthrough in his compositional thinking, a departure from German neo-romanticism. The songs of Alma Mahler, wife of the famous composer and conductor, are as mysterious as their creator. Arnold Schoenberg’s Vier Lieder to texts by Richard Dehmel come from a transitional period of gradual departure from tonality. Ivan Hrušovský set to music the poems of Haľamová, Rúfus and Kraus. “…meditativeness, characteristic of all three poets, reflectiveness expressed through suggestive symbols, and deep lyricism. These characteristics influenced the choice of tempo in the songs, the formation of the vocal part, and especially the interaction between the vocal component and the piano,“ wrote the author in the bulletin for the premiere in 1989.