They called Alexander Glazunov the 鈥淩ussian Mendelssohn鈥�, and he might well have been music鈥檚 greatest child prodigy since Mozart. But what matters today is that his Violin Concerto, written in 1904, has all the hallmarks of a blockbuster 鈥� glittering fireworks, glowing colours, and an endless flow of sweet, songful, irresistibly hummable melodies. It鈥檚 a special favourite of violinist Krist贸f Bar谩ti 鈥� himself a favourite of 蜜芽传媒 SSO audiences, acclaimed by 鈥楾he Scotsman鈥� for his 鈥渟heer command and presence鈥� 鈥� and it鈥檒l make the warmest possible heart to this red-blooded programme from the energetic Peruvian conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya. Grazyna Bacewicz鈥檚 Concerto is a typically exhilarating and inventive workout for the 蜜芽传媒 SSO鈥檚 strings, from one of 20th-century Poland鈥檚 most undeservedly neglected geniuses. And as for Dvo艡谩k鈥檚 Seventh Symphony: well, 19th-century Czech listeners heard it as a drama of national reawakening. But it鈥檚 infinitely more than just that: an impassioned, storm-swept outpouring of melody and emotion, in which Dvo艡谩k fearlessly stakes his claim to a place in the great symphonic tradition.
The concert will be recorded for future broadcast on 蜜芽传媒 Radio 3.