A WINTER REVERIE

PETR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13, “Winter Dreams”
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Davide penitente, Cantata K. 469

Simona Šaturová soprano
Martina Janková soprano
Petr Nekoranec tenor
Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno
choirmaster Petr Fiala
Filharmonie Brno
conductor Robert Kružík

In his Symphony No. 1 in G minor (1866), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky infused images and shifting moods of the winter landscape, together with his personal impressions, drawing on the logic of symphonic development and the character of folk melody. Although it is performed far less frequently than Tchaikovsky’s celebrated later symphonies – 4, 5, and 6 (Pathétique) – the first symphony nevertheless enjoys a place in the repertoire. Whenever it is heard, it continues to astonish listeners with the remarkable maturity of its very young composer.

The pace at which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart produced one new work after another was extraordinary. At times, however, he returned to earlier compositions and adapted them for a new context, as was the case with the cantata Davide penitente, written for a benefit concert for the Vienna Musical Society (Wiener Tonkünstler-Societät). For this work, Mozart drew on material from his unfinished Mass in C minor, K. 427. He replaced the original Kyrie and Gloria with an Italian text paraphrasing Old Testament psalms and composed additional soprano and tenor arias. The cantata was warmly received by audiences and was performed frequently during Mozart’s lifetime. Today, the situation is quite different: while the Great Mass in C minor ranks among Mozart’s most celebrated sacred works, its ‘Italian version’, Davide penitente, is heard much less often.