About the Concert

Hardly any other symphony is as popular in our concert halls today as Antonín Dvořák's ninth. This is not only due to the richness of the melodies and their verve, but also to the echoes of jazz, spirituals and songs of the indigenous population of America that the composer incorporated. This was no coincidence, but the express wish of his New York patron, who wanted nothing less from him than the foundation stone for an American national music. The musical gaze of Britten's ballet music turns in precisely the opposite direction, namely to the Far East. In his piece, he tells the story of a prince who helps his beloved to drive her evil sister out of the kingdom. To achieve this, a lot of percussion is used, among other things.