Name: Špaček — Dresden Philharmonic — Wong
Start: 2025-06-07T19:30:00
Location: Kulturpalast Dresden

Kahchun Wong

Josef Špaček

Dresdner Philharmonie

Dresdner Musikfestspiele

A symphony orchestra can tell complete stories. And one of the most important storytellers was doubtlessly Igor Stravinsky. The sounds and rhythms he conjured were scandalous more than 100 years ago; today, they inspire us to imagine cinematic scenes. This is also true of the legend of the firebird with all its sophisticated colors and instruments. Before this eternally fascinating orchestral work, the Dresden Philharmonic interprets Tan Dun’s »Fire Ritual« for violin and orchestra, under the baton of its principal guest conductor Kahchun Wong and with the violinist Josef Špaček as the soloist – the former and, at the time, youngest-ever concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic. The work was composed in 2018, inspired by ceremonial music from the Chinese court. This program, packed with legends and fairytales, begins with the »Dance of the Seven Veils« from the ballet »Salome«, composed in 1948 and reworked in 1987 by the Japanese composer Akira Ifukube, who is most well-known for his compositions for the Kaijū film genre.