‘Belgian National Orchestra’

ROADS TO A NEW BEGINNING

In 1919, Edward Elgar underwent a tonsillectomy, which was quite a dangerous operation for such an elderly man. When he regained consciousness, he jotted down the melody that would become the first theme of his Cello Concerto. The young Romanian cellist Andrei Ioniță will perform this work, in which Elgar expressed his despair about man’s mortality. In his composition, Elgar refers to World War I, which had just ended. The war left Elgar deeply scarred. During this period he composed next to nothing, overwhelmed by the ‘terrible shadow’ cast over the world.
Prokofiev composed his Symphony No. 5 in the years after World War II, although his work expresses hope rather than despair. His composition is ‘a hymn to free and happy Man – his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit’. As in Elgar’s case, however, the theme of this symphony was suggested to Prokofiev by his subconscious: ‘I cannot say I chose this theme. It was born in me and had to express itself.’ The concert will be conducted by Cristian Măcelaru, who recently appointed Music Director of the WDR Sinfonieorchester in Cologne.