Dances from Galánta

With Othmar Schoeck’s *Sommernacht* and Franz Schreker’s *Intermezzo*, the Musikkollegium Winterthur, conducted by Nils Erik Måseidvåg, presents works by two composers who both fell into obscurity after the Second World War and have only been performed more frequently again in recent decades. Composed in 1945, “Sommernacht” is a pastoral intermezzo whose warm string sound, atmospheric phrasing and balanced melancholy leave the innovative contrasts of Schoeck’s early work far behind. In this impressionistic programme music, one listens intently to the chirping crickets and warbling birds of the balmy summer night – no wonder the work is one of his most frequently performed. Franz Schreker wrote the Intermezzo for string orchestra around 1901 for a composition competition, in which he promptly won first prize. The jury, which included Schreker’s composition teacher Robert Fuchs, was particularly impressed by the voice leading of the divided strings and the resulting rich sound. ‘Sound’ is indeed the compositional maxim with which Schreker engaged particularly intensively in his later works. The programme for this lunch concert is rounded off with Zoltán Kodály’s ‘Dances from Galánta’, in which the timbres of the wind instruments join those of the strings. The alternating slow and fast dance melodies trace the crescendo of this lunch concert, culminating in a brilliant, spirited finale. Perhaps you’ll be so elated that you’ll dance straight over to the Bloom restaurant, where you can enjoy a discounted lunch with the ‘Musikkollegium Package’ upon prior booking.

Doors open at 11.50 amOur tip: Treat yourself to a culinary delight at Restaurant Bloom after the concert. You can choose between individual dishes from the lunch menu and the Musikkollegium Package, which includes a 3-course lunch menu with mineral water, 1 coffee and 1 glass of wine for CHF 55 per person. Table reservations are recommended: www.bloom.ch / +41 52 265 03 65.