The other Tchaikovsky work in the concert, the symphonic fantasy Francesca da Rimini, recalls the story of a tragic double murder of passion that actually happened. The heroine of the title, who was forced into a loveless marriage by her family for political reasons, conducted a fervent relationship with her husband's younger brother for nearly ten years. However, the husband found out about the couple and killed them both. The incident became so famous that even Dante included the characters in The Divine Comedy. Between the two Tchaikovsky compositions, we will hear Mussorgsky's famous symphonic poem Night on Bald Mountain. The orchestral fantasy was composed in 1867 based on Gogol's story St. John's Eve. Saint John's Eve and the summer solstice were associated with both profane and ecclesiastical holidays around the world: the darkness was associated with death and decay, and the light with renewal. The Witches' Sabbath was a popular theme of Romantic music, and Mussorgsky depicts the contrasts of light and shadow quite sensitively in the piece.

Presented by: Hungarian Radio Art Groups