In Concert Românesc [Romanian concerto], completed in 1951, György Ligeti returns to memories from his childhood. Hailing from a Hungarian community living in Transylvania, the composer spent years studying the folk culture of the Romanian Carpathians with great interest, fascinated by the unique colour of the local music. The four-part work features many motifs derived from authentic folk melodies of the region.
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Triple Concerto in C major, Op. 56, for violin, cello, piano and orchestra, dates from 1803–1805. In this three-movement work, Polish music lovers are particularly drawn to the composer’s nod to the ‘Polish style’, which can be seen in the final polonaise (Rondo alla Polacca).
The Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, is Antonín Dvořák’s most famous and most frequently performed orchestral work. It was composed in 1893 during the composer’s stay in the United States of America, hence the addition of the title ‘From the New World’. Performed in December of the same year in New York, at first glance it is – like Tchaikovsky’s symphonies, for example – a thoroughly conservative work in terms of form. However, its innovative character lies in its original melodic inventiveness and emotional drama, so typical of Slavic composers, with their sensitivity to motifs derived from local folk cultures and popular music (in this case, from various layers of American folklore). In American culture, the work continues to serve as an important symbol, as evidenced not only by the fact that astronaut Neil Armstrong took a recording of it aboard Apollo 11 during the 1969 moon landing, but also by the numerous references to the style of this symphony present in the film music written for popular American westerns and even in the Star Wars soundtrack.
Grzegorz Zieziula