Composed in Hollywood between 1941 and 1942, Stravinsky’s Danses concertantes consists of five movements of a ballet suite, characterized by a light and playful style, in which the Russian composer quotes himself by reusing themes from his earlier works. The Dances, a “Concerto for Small Orchestra” as Stravinsky himself called it, converse with Schubert’s Deutsche Tänze, written in 1824 for piano. Presented here in the 1931 orchestration by Anton Webern, they shine for their elegance and refinement, in the style of 19th-century Viennese salons.
Completing the program, entrusted to the Orchestra of the Accademia Teatro alla Scala, returning to the Festival under the baton of 30-year-old Diego Ceretta, is Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Violin Concerto “The Prophets”, one of the most representative works of mid-20th-century Italian music. A reflection on the composer’s Jewish roots, it was written in 1931 and first performed in 1933 at Carnegie Hall, New York, by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini, with Jascha Heifetz as the soloist and dedicatee of the Concerto. In this performance, the soloist is the acclaimed violinist Francesca Dego.
Locandina
Violin Soloist Francesca Dego
Accademia Teatro alla Scala Orchestra
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Deutsche Tänze, D 820
(orchestration by Anton Webern)
Danses concertantes
a. Variazione 1 - Allegretto
b. Variazione 2 - Scherzando c. Variazione 3 - Andantino
d. Variazione 4 - Tempo giusto
Second Violin Concerto, Op. 66 “The Prophets”
The Orchestra of the Accademia Teatro alla Scala is supported by the Italian Ministry of Culture (MiC) and the Italian Society of Authors and Publishers (SIAE) through the artistic professional development project "Giovani Talenti in Concerto" (Young Talents in Concert), as part of the "Per Chi Crea 2025" programme.
