Hommâge à Bohdan WarchalHommâge à Bohdan Warchal

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart undeniably embodies symbols of light, sunshine, life, optimism, and a positive outlook on reality. However, his name is also associated with works with the theme of the night – in addition to the famous A Little Night Music, they also include Serenata Notturna. The talented composer and cellist Luigi Boccherini wrote a total of twelve cello concertos. The Baroque composer uses the entire range of the instrument, which makes his Cello Concerto No. 9 one of the most popular. The popularity of Boccherini’s works was so high in the 19th century that in 1895, the German cellist Friedrich Grützmacher decided to adapt the Ninth Concerto to a romantic stylistic aesthetic. Grützmacher’s version combines the fourth, fifth and seventh concertos with the ninth, while cadenzas are also added. Jacqueline du Pré, the renowned inspiration in the world of cello art, recorded the concert in this rendition. The solo part of this version will be performed in Bratislava by Ľudovít Kanta, former cello group concert master of the Slovak Philharmonic. He found his second home in Japan, where he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun in 2023. Leoš Janáček wrote the Suite, his first orchestral piece, even before his studies at the Leipzig Conservatory. The stylistic intention to return to the old baroque suites was followed only in the archaic naming of the six parts.