In the third concert of the series For Lovers, scheduled on Friday, 29 January (Kolarac, 8pm), the Belgrade Philharmonic will play the most emotional notes in the music literature. Edward Elgar’s Salut d’amour and Leonard Bernstein’s cult piece West Side Story will be complemented by Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No 2, featuring soloist Nikolai Demidenko and conducted by Uroš Lajovic.
Nikolai Demidenko’s passionate virtuosity and musicianship has brought him worldwide recognition. In the performance of one of the best known pieces of piano literature, Demidenko will be an equal partner – the first among equals, as he and the orchestra musicians compete in the Piano Concerto No 2.
Former Chief Conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic Uroš Lajovic will lead the orchestra in Salut d’amour – Elgar’s love salute to his fiancée, which the composer translated into a short, charming piece of music. Bernstein’s musical West Side Story, inspired by the story of Romeo and Juliette, achieved a cult status on the American music scene, its excerpts having been included in the standard symphonic repertoire owing to the suite called Symphonic Dances, which the romantic admirers of the Belgrade-based orchestra will surely love.
“Love Friday is coming. After the famous piano concerto, Elgar’s intimate declaration of love leads us to the ‘larger-calibre’ West Side Story, in which a couple falls in love amidst the clash of two street gangs. This popular piece is a huge challenge for us because we do not belong in that cultural milieu, yet we strive to emulate it as much as we can by investing great effort and energy”, said Uroš Lajovic, currently the Chief Conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra.
The theme of love, embodied through various inspirations, is the topic of the series For Lovers, which presents some of the most beautiful pieces of musical literature. The next love-inspired concert, scheduled on 8 April, will feature violinist Nemanja Radulović as the soloist, whereas the conductor will be Eiji Oue.
