Haštal Hapka
New work commissioned by the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava

Tan Dun
Three Muses in Video Game

Sergei Rachmaninov
Symphonic Dances, Op. 45

Jörgen van Rijen – trombone
Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava
Daniel Raiskin – Chief Conductor of JFO

The concert opens with a new composition written on commission for the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava by the young Czech composer Haštal Hapka. He studied composition at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory and later at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. In addition to classical composition, he is also active in film music and has arranged several songs by his father, Petr Hapka, for symphony orchestra.

The American composer of Chinese origin Tan Dun ranks among the most prominent figures in contemporary music. He gained international acclaim particularly for his score to the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which earned both an Academy Award and a Grammy. Tan Dun composed Three Muses in Video Game especially for the evening’s soloist, the phenomenal Dutch trombonist Jörgen van Rijen, who premiered the work in 2021 with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. The fascinating music of this trombone concerto is inspired not only by video game soundtracks but also by the sounds of three traditional ancient Chinese instruments.

The second half of the evening features Sergei Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances. The renowned Russian piano virtuoso and composer wrote this work in 1940, near the end of his life, while living in exile in the United States. In Symphonic Dances, he succeeded in combining modern rhythms inspired by Stravinsky and Prokofiev with a Romantic fondness for broad, lyrical melodies.