Einojuhani Rautavaara
Cantus Arcticus, Op. 61

Anders Hillborg
Peacock Tales, clarinet concerto

Antonín Dvořák
The Wild Dove, orchestral poem Op. 110

Igor Stravinsky
The Firebird, suite

Karel Dohnal – clarinet
Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava
Petr Popelka – conductor

The compositions of this concert are connected by an unusual theme. The subtitle of the evening could be “the bird concert”. The introductory piece is Cantus Arcticus from 1972, the best-known piece of the long-deceased Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara, into which the author has embedded a recording of bird singing recorded near the Arctic circle and in the moorlands of northern Finland. This piece will be followed by the Peacock Tales by Swedish composer Hillborg. This clarinet concerto is made special by “ornithological” dance by the soloist, a brilliant clarinet player Karel Dohnal. After Nordic birds and peacocks, Dvořák’s The Wild Dove will take over the stage, one of the four symphonic poems based on Erben’s collection of ballads Kytice. The finale of the concert will be a suite from the ballet The Firebird, which tells the story of a Russian folk fairytale. At the time of its premier (1910), the ballet was an unexpected success with both the audience and critics. The composer himself considered the piece a little lengthy, so he made more versions of the concert suite, which is today performed more often than the ballet.