Performers
- Mariusz Wilczyński live-animation
- Sinfonia Varsovia – strings
- Yaroslav Shemet conductor
Programme
Gustav Mahler Adagietto from Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor [12’]
Franz Schubert String Quartet No. 14 in D minor Death and the Maiden D.810 (arr. for string orchestra Gustav Mahler) [40’]
I. Allegro
II. Andante con moto
III. Scherzo. Allegro molto
IV. Presto
Concert description
Gustav Mahler once said that by composing a symphony, he builds a new world. Yet until the middle of the last century, the integrity of Mahler’s works was not appreciated enough – they were considered eclectic and sometimes even kitsch…. While the world of twentieth-century music was dominated by the avant-garde, Mahler’s work was characterized by earnest emotion and evocativeness –perhaps that is why today it inspires filmmakers and stimulates visual thinking.
Such approach to compositions is adopted by Mariusz Wilczyński, an animation director, acclaimed especially for his first feature-length movie Kill It and Leave This Town (2020) with the soundtrack composed of songs by Tadeusz Nalepa and involved in live projects (e.g. with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach).
This time we will hear a “double transcription”. Gustav Mahler did not only compose and conduct, but also also arranged his own and other composers’ works for other ensembles – including Franz Schubert’s famous Death and the Maiden quartet. The author of the arrangement did not alter radically the original, but reather enhanced its articulation by transcribing it into a larger ensemble. And how will Mariusz Wilczyński transcribe it into a moving image?
– Dominika Micał, “Ruch Muzyczny”