Earworm risk: University orchestra plays works by Dvorák and Marquez

Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) composed his Symphony No. 9 in E minor during a three-year stay in America. The symphony, subtitled "From the New World," was to become his most popular and successful. Even at its premiere in New York in 1893, the audience was enthusiastic. "The newspapers say that never before has a composer had such a triumph," Dvorák wrote to his publisher. In the work, he interweaves his new impressions from America with his musical roots in Bohemia. For example, he incorporates the spirituals of African-American plantation workers and Native American melodies as well as folkloristic American motifs. Again and again, however, elements of Bohemian folk music are heard - like a longing sigh for the homeland.

Arturo Márquez (*1950) was born in a town in the Mexican Sonora desert and learned the forms and styles of traditional Mexican music from an early age. He began composing at the age of 16. According to Márquez, the "Danzón No. 2," which he created in 1994 on the occasion of an uprising for the rights of the indigenous population, is a piece full of hope. Because of its popularity, it is sometimes referred to as a second national anthem and also helped the Mexican composer to international fame about 15 years ago. In Latin American tradition, a danzón is actually a slow couple's dance that provides elegant pauses for the dancers to listen to virtuoso passages typically played by a traditional ensemble. Márquez's symphonic works with this title (Danzón No. 2 and No. 7 will be played) also captivate with enchanting and seductive rhythms.

Dates:

Concerts begin at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 9, and Sunday, July 10, at Friedenskirche Kassel. Masks are compulsory. Admission is 12 euros (reduced 6 euros). Tickets can be reserved under: konzertkarten[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

Further information under: https://www.uni-kassel.de/fb01/institute/institut-fuer-musik/ensembles-veranstaltungsreihen/uniorchester/startseite