30 years of the university orchestra: symphony concert with works by Dvorák and Marquez

The symphony orchestra's end-of-semester program has catchy tune potential: the concerts on 9 and 10 July will feature Antonin Dvorák's symphony "From the New World" as well as rousing Mexican rhythms by contemporary composer Arturo Márquez. The concert will also mark the 30th anniversary of the university orchestra under the direction of Malte Steinsiek.

Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) composed his Symphony No. 9 in E minor during a three-year stay in America. The symphony with the subtitle "From the New World" was to become his most popular and successful. The audience was already enthusiastic at the premiere in New York in 1893. "The newspapers say that never before had a composer enjoyed such a triumph," Dvorák wrote to his publisher. In the work, he interweaves his new impressions from America with his musical roots in Bohemia. For example, he incorporates the spirituals of African-American plantation workers and Native American melodies as well as folkloristic American motifs. Elements of Bohemian folk music are also heard again and again - like a longing sigh for the homeland.

Arturo Márquez (*1950) was born in a town in the Mexican Sonora desert and learned the forms and styles of traditional Mexican music from an early age. He began composing at the age of 16. According to Márquez, "Danzón No. 2", which he created in 1994 on the occasion of an uprising for the rights of the indigenous population, is a piece full of hope. Due to its popularity, it is sometimes referred to as a second national anthem and also helped the Mexican composer to international fame around 15 years ago. In the Latin American tradition, a danzón is actually a slow couple dance that provides elegant pauses for the dancers to listen to the virtuoso passages, which are typically played by a traditional ensemble. Márquez's symphonic works with this title (Danzón No. 2 and No. 7 will be performed) also captivate with their enchanting and seductive rhythms.

Dates:

The concerts begin on Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10 at 7 pm in the Friedenskirche Kassel. Masks are compulsory. Admission is 12 euros (reduced 6 euros). Tickets can be reserved at: konzertkarten[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

Further information can be found at: https://www.uni-kassel.de/fb01/institute/institut-fuer-musik/ensembles-veranstaltungsreihen/uniorchester/startseite