Mussorgsky considered Night on the Bare Mountain to be his first serious composition for orchestra. His mentor Balakirev, however, had objections, so the work lay deep in the composer's drawer for years. Even today, it is not heard in its original version, having become known in an arrangement by Rimsky-Korsakov, who not only re-orchestrated the piece but also carried out some formal changes. The visionary world of the witches' Sabbath was far more hair-raising in the young Mussorgsky's version, and the musical innovations of the initial composition considerably bolder than in the familiar arrangement. A better fate awaited Stravinsky's ballet music The Firebird, the breakthrough that made the young composer his name at a stroke. Like Mussorgsky's witches, the story of The Firebird originates in the world of folk myth, in a Slavic tale of a magical bird, a sorcerer, a prince and princesses.
Beethoven's Triple Concerto, and particularly Dvořák's Silent Woods, a work for cello and orchestra, represent classical harmony and a point of respite on the evening's programme - a counterpoint to the two other featured compositions.

Presented by: Pannon Philharmonic - Pécs