B2 French Evening

ABOUT THE CONCERT

An evening of French elegance and deep emotion. Tenor Pavol Breslik will perform Ernest Chausson’s intoxicating and lyrical Poème de l’amour et de la mer. The second half of the concert will feature César Franck’s Symphony in D minor — a work that, despite initial controversy, captivated the world with its power, originality, and poetic depth.

Program 

Ernest Chausson
Poème de l’amour et de la mer, Op. 19

César Franck
Symphony in D minor

Performers 

Pavol Breslík – tenor
Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava
Robert Jindra – conductor

Ernest Chausson began working on his Poème de l’amour et de la mer while still studying in César Franck’s composition class in 1882, although he did not complete it until eight years later. From a youthful collection of poems by his friend and contemporary Maurice Bouchor, Chausson selected two poems and linked them with an orchestral interlude. The sea, the sky, lilacs, dead leaves blown by the wind, the moon – these are the images that Bouchor’s poetry offered to Chausson. He clothed the verses in intoxicating music, infused with Wagnerian influence, yet without losing the delicate lyricism that characterizes the finest French expression. The solo part will be performed by the internationally acclaimed Slovak tenor Pavol Breslík.

César Franck’s Symphony in D minor, structured in three movements, is one of his best-known works. Composed in 1888, the piece immediately divided audiences between admirers and fierce critics. Charles Lamoreux, the conductor famous for organizing prestigious orchestral concerts in Paris, refused to present the work, and the premiere was instead given by the student orchestra of the Paris Conservatory. Many critics were scandalized by Franck’s embrace of the German musical tradition and his willingness to challenge established formal conventions. Nevertheless, within a few years the symphony was successfully performed by major German and American orchestras and remains today an important and beloved part of the symphonic repertoire.