The Rondo in G minor is one of the most popular compositions by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904). He wrote it after returning from a concert tour as a pianist, together with the violinist Ferdinand Lechner and the cellist Hanuš Wihan. It was there and then that the last-mentioned musician asked Dvořák for a virtuoso piece offering him a chance to demonstrate his skills, to which the composer responded by producing this charming work in a dance style. Tonight´s concert offers its transcription for clarinet.

The Norwegian composer, Olav Berg (b. 1949) is not an experimenter, which may also be why his music has been so warmly received by audiences. At the same time, his work is not in the least superficial and certainly rewards attentive listening. In his own words, “…the audience is invited to listen with an open mind, each person guided by their own imagination. Only thus are they likely to actively contribute to their final experience of the music.” Olav Berg studied theory of music in Norway, and in London. Himself an active wind player, he receives a good many commissions from his fellow players in this field. This was also the case of Vertigo, written on a commission in 1992.

Berndt (Bernhard) Henrik Crusell (1775-1838) was born in Finland, which was then part of Sweden. In his career, he rose to the post of first clarinet in Stockholm´s royal orchestra, apart from which he went on to make frequent appearances as a soloist and chamber player. He wrote concertos for clarinet and other wind instruments, chamber music, choral works, and military music. Beyond that, he also translated ten opera librettos into Swedish.

When a phenomenal pianist gets to writing a cello sonata, the outcome can hardly be other than in the case of Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943). In his sonata from 1901, the majority of ideas are ushered in by piano, with the cello in charge of embellishing and expanding them. In its time, this sonata was very soon eclipsed by the phenomenal success of the composer´s Piano Concerto No. 2, and since then to this day, it has remained rather marginalized in the concert repertoire. And yet, it is beyond any doubt one of the 20^th century´s most important works for cello.

                                                                                                  sleeve-note: Dita Hradecká / translation: Ivan Vomáčka