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T
he Cyprus Symphony Orchestra (CySO)
paid tribute to the post-Wagnerian com-
poser Richard Strauss (1864-1949) on the
150
th
anniversary of his birth with two con-
certs under the musical direction of Alkis Bal-
tas. Distinguished violinist and concertmaster
of the CySO, Wolfgang Schroeder performed
as soloist.
The concerts took place on 23 May at Pallas
Theatre in Nicosia, and 24 May 2014 at the Ri-
alto Theatre in Limassol.
The public had the opportunity to enjoy Rich-
ard Strauss’ masterful, virtuosic Concerto for
violin as well as the Sarabande from the Dance
Suite, following keyboard pieces by François
Couperin. Richard Strauss composed his Violin
Concerto in D minor in 1882 for his uncle Ben-
no Walter, a violin teacher. It was he who gave
the first performance on 5 December 1882,
with the young composer playing a piano re-
duction. Strauss never composed another violin
concerto. Τhe concerto is attractive to virtuoso
violinists for its two external movements full
of technical fireworks. The
Dance Suite
was a
commission of the Vienna State Opera in 1920.
Strauss used original clavecin pieces by Coup-
erin that he orchestrated for a small orchestra.
The suite has eight dances and in this concert
the fourth dance was performed,
Sarabande
(largo), with its serious outer parts and canta-
bile central section.
In the second half viewers enjoyed two rarely
heard works of the 20
th
century: The Concert
Romanesc by György Sándor Ligeti, which
is based on Romanian folk melodies and
the Sinfonietta
La Jolla,
which is one of the
most resourceful and attractive works by Bo-
huslav Martinů. György Ligeti (1923-2006)
fled from Soviet Hungary in 1956, becom-
ing one of the leading figures of avant-garde
music which was then at its most popular on
the Western side of the Iron Curtain. The
Ro-
manian Concerto
was written in 1952 when
Ligeti was teaching at the Budapest Con-
servatory. Béla Bartók’s
Romanian
works are
an indubitable influence.
Sinfonietta La Jolla
(1950) is a peaceful composition in three
movements with a prominent piano part. La
Jolla is a community in Southern Califor-
nia, the Musical Arts Society of which com-
missioned the work. Martinü’s admiration
of Joseph Haydn, the humble master of the
Symphonic genre, is reflected in this neoclas-
sic and easily comprehended work, peaceful
charming and tuneful, as the La Jolla Musical
Arts Society requested.
Tribute to Richard Strauss
150
th
birth anniversary
