GyörgyOrbán does not view the mixing of styles as the devil’s work. As one critic writes, “early Stravinsky, Shostakovich, certain jazz elements, film composer Nino Rota and even Tom & Jerry” can all be heard in his Serenade No. 4. The composer’s intention is “a salute to Bartók and Mahler in the spirit of the pentatonic scale,” and – let us add – by tried-and-tested means without leaving an already trodden path. ErnőDohnányi can also be regarded as a conservative composer, who set off early in the footsteps of Brahms and never strayed from this style as much as his contemporary Bartók. His opus 12 is essentially an interconnected three-movement concerto for cello which recalls Schumann even in its title, and is close in mood to the cello concertos of both the latter and Dvořák.
The cello also plays a leading role in the symphonic poem Don Quixote by Richard Strauss, in which the instrument personifies the eccentric knight. We can follow his adventures easily enough, as the music vividly portrays the protagonist’s battles with the herd of sheep he sees as an approaching army, the Benedictine monks he believes are enchanters, or the windmills he imagines to be giants.

Presented by: Pannon Philharmonic – Pécs