An innocent dialogue between a solo cello and wind instruments in unison precedes lively rhythms and guitar riffs. These introduce an unusual jazz-rock atmosphere to the stage of the Warsaw Philharmonic. This is how Friedrich Gulda’s Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra begins. Gulda was a multi-instrumentalist who went down in history primarily as an outstanding pianist, combining the worlds of classical music and jazz. This work, first performed in 1981, is a surprising mix of inspirations: from Renaissance dances, through American jazz, to traditional Alpine music. It also refers to the sound of hunting horns and bands playing in taverns.
The sensual, undulating melody of a solo flute begins one of the most canonical works of Western music. Claude Debussy’s Prélude a l’Après-midi d’un faune, composed at the end of the nineteenth century, paved the way for musical impressionism. The composer sought bold yet subtle palettes of colours and harmonies, focusing more on conveying a mood than illustrating Stéphane Mallarmé’s poem. Several years after its premiere, the work inspired a ballet staged by the famous Paris-based Ballets Russes.
Serge Diaghilev’s ballet company was admired by Debussy’s younger colleague Albert Roussel, who eventually turned against musical impressionism. The ballet Bacchus et Ariane, staged in 1931, is not lacking in subtlety, but the whole work – with its ecstatic rhythms and impressive instrumentation – is already part of the neoclassical trend.
Bartłomiej Gembicki