Brno Philharmonic

Brubeck, the Brno Philharmonic and the Brandenburg Gate

Freddy Kempf piano
Dennis Russell Davies conductor

Janáček             Lachian Dances
Gershwin          Variations on 'I Got Rhythm'
Brubeck            Brandenburg Gate Revisited
Dvořák               Symphony No.  7

American conductor Dennis Russell Davies is the point of connection in this vibrant concert, which crosses continents and musical genres. The Principal Conductor of the Brno Philharmonic also has deep roots in jazz, having worked with luminaries such as Keith Jarrett and Dave Brubeck. The latter’s 1963 concerto for jazz quartet and orchestra, Brandenburg Gate Revisited, receives its first live UK performance with leading British pianist Freddy Kempf and a Czech jazz trio spinning sepia melodies around a subtly noir orchestral accompaniment. Freddy also takes the lead in Gershwin’s Variations on I Got Rhythm, a sprightly showpiece exploring similar terrain to his famous Rhapsody in Blue.

Two contrasting Czech pieces complete the programme. Janáček’s Lachian Dances was his first significant work for orchestra and is a tuneful take on local folk traditions and festivities, hitched to the composer’s zesty rhythms. Dvořák’s tautly dramatic Seventh Symphony provides the finale. Inspired by hearing Brahms’s turbulent Third Symphony a few months earlier, it reflects the political struggles of the Czech nation as well as personal grief.  The most compellingly urgent of all his symphonies, its smouldering intensity catches fire in a thrilling mix of soaring melodies and driving rhythms.