The NFM Wrocław Philharmonic concert brings together works by three composers from three generations: Philippe Manoury, Henri Dutilleux and Béla Bartók. Each uses a different musical language, but for all of them the symphony orchestra was a natural means of expression. The soloist will be French cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, admired for his approach to the classical repertoire and his commitment to performing contemporary music. The conductor will be Pascal Rophé, one of the most outstanding interpreters of 20th- and 21st-century music, who has worked with the Wrocław Philharmonic for many years.
The evening opens with Maelström (Hommage à Boulez), a short work by contemporary French composer Philippe Manoury. It was commissioned by Radio France in 2024 and premiered on 17 January 2025 at the Paris Philharmonie, performed by the Orchestre National de France under Thomas Guggeis. The premiere was part of the celebrations marking the centenary of Pierre Boulez's birth. Boulez, a composer and conductor who died in 2016, was one of the most important figures in music at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Next is Tout un monde lointain… by Henri Dutilleux, completed in 1970. It is regarded as one of the finest cello concertos of the 20th century. The piece is colourful, shimmering, dreamlike and at times unsettling. It was written for Mstislav Rostropovich, for whom Benjamin Britten, Witold Lutosławski, Krzysztof Penderecki and Dmitri Shostakovich also composed. The title, Tout un monde lointain…, refers to Charles Baudelaire's The Flowers of Evil. Each movement has its own title and a quotation from Baudelaire's poetry that indicates the mood and emotional character of the music:
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