Selb23Aš - Bavarian-Czech Friendship Weeks

Selb - Rosenthal-Theater
19:00 Uhr

Late romantic confessions! Dvořák was keen to breathe fresh life into Catholic church music in his native Bohemia. For him, religiousness was a necessary prerequisite for his creative work, and he said: "Don't be surprised that I am so devout – an artist who is not devout will not achieve such things". As he grew older, the setting of liturgical texts became increasingly important for him – possibly as a way of expressing his thoughts about the end of life. He wrote his "Biblical Songs” in 1894, while living in New York. Shortly beforehand, news had reached him of the deaths of his contemporaries Tchaikovsky and Gounod, as well as the news from home that his father had passed away. These ten songs, which set texts from the Book of Psalms, range in expression from laments and prayers of intercession, fear and confidence to the praise of God and trust in his help – moving pieces written in a state of grief far from his beloved Bohemia. The concert will close with Bohuslav Martinůs first symphony.

Jakub Hrůša Conductor
Gerhild Romberger Alto

Antonín Dvořák Biblische Lieder op. 99
Bohuslav Martinů Symphonie Nr. 1