Sophie Rosa    director

Bartók             Romanian Folk Dances
Suk                  Meditation on the Old Bohemian Chorale ‘Saint Wenceslas’
Dvořák            Serenade for Strings

This vibrant matinee concert brings together three distinctive voices from Eastern Europe, beginning with Bela Bartók’s set of seven piquant miniatures. Josef Suk was both son-in-law and student to Dvořák and an accomplished composer of highly evocative music. His Meditation on the old Czech hymn ‘St Wenceslas’, took its inspiration from the twelfth century, and was an emotive patriotic statement at a time of conflict with neighbouring Austria.  Dvořák’s famous Serenade for Strings provides a suitably grand and upbeat finale. Written in just two weeks in 1875 it overflows with positive energy, drawing on a rich range of Czech traditional music and lively dance styles.