Perlman, Ma Solo in Morawetz Arrangements
Prague - Czech-born Canadian composer Oskar Morawetz was
back home here Dec. 16 during a commemorative concert marking the 100th
anniversary of the premiere of Dvorák's "New World" Symphony. That event, which
took place on the same day exactly one century ago in a Carnegie Hall
performance by the New York Philharmonic under Anton Seidl, was remembered this
winter with a similarly high-profile match of European and North American
talents.
This time the Boston Symphony and Seiji Ozawa joined violinist
Itzhak Perlman and cellist Yo-Yo Ma in an all-Dvorák program in Prague's Smetana
Hall, which included 13 works and short excerpts, among them the Carnival
Overture, Romance for violin and orchestra, Silent Woods for cello
and orchestra, the Largo from the "New World" Symphony, the Humoresque in
E-flat minor, Psalm 149 for choir and orchestra, and a number of songs.
(Soprano Frederica von Stade, pianist Rudolf Firkusny and the Czech Philharmonic
Choir also took part in the all-star gala.) This was the Boston Symphony's first
visit to Prague in 37 years, and the first appearance in this city by Perlman.
Morawetz was commissioned to prepare arrangements for violin,
cello and orchestra of two normally small-scale works by Dvorák, with the
understandable aim of having Perlman and Ma perform together: the Humoresque
in G-flat major and the Slavonic Dance in E minor. He was recommended
for the job by Ma, who last year performed Morawetz' Memorial to Martin
Luther King with both the Toronto Symphony and New York Philharmonic.
Morawetz was thrilled with the Prague experience.
"It worked very nicely," says the now 77-year old composer who
has lived in Toronto since 1940. "Both Perlman and Ma seemed quite happy. It was
very difficult to do these arrangements, almost more difficult than writing new
works because you have to make sure the violin and cello have equal parts and I
had to invent all kinds of new counterpoints."
The commission came to Morawetz from Sony Classical's video
section, which plans to release a video of the concert in both VHS and laserdisc
formats. As well, the performance, broadcast simultaneously in the Czech
Republic, is to be telecast in 30 countries during the coming year, including a
March airing on the U.S. Public Broadcasting System (PBS).
