WBS: Spring Concert

The Spring Concert offers a program that combines romantic music with themes of renewal, movement, and fresh energy. Each of the works captures a different aspect of spring – from fairy-tale fantasy to virtuoso brilliance to joyful symphonic expression. The evening will open with the overture to Carl Maria von Weber's opera Oberon, the composer's last completed work. The overture combines lyrical passages with dramatic entries by French horns, evoking a fairy-tale and natural atmosphere. The work is considered one of the highlights of early Romanticism and is often performed separately precisely because of its colorfulness and energy. Camilla Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto No. 3 in G minor, Op. 61, is one of the most popular violin concertos of the 19th century. The composer wrote it for the famous virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate, which is reflected in the technical difficulty and spectacular character of the solo part. The concerto is exceptional for its smooth transitions between movements and the balanced relationship between soloist and orchestra.

The solo part will be performed by violinist Barbora Kolářová. The concert will conclude with Robert Schumann's Symphony No. 1 in B flat major, "Spring," Op. 38, which was composed in 1841 during several weeks of exceptionally intense creative work. Schumann was inspired not only by the arrival of spring, but also by his personal happiness after his marriage to Clara Wieck. The symphony originally bore the names of individual movements associated with spring images and is characterized by clear instrumentation, ascending motifs, and an optimistic tone.

The Spring Concert will be performed by the West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Nikol Kraft.