The opening concert of the PKF — LOBKOWICZ series will take us through Europe from the late Baroque to the end of the 19th century. We will hear works hardly ever played, as well as some very well-known pieces in unique interpretations by cellist Jamal Aliyev. 

Performers:
Jamal Aliyev — cello

Program

František Xaver Richter
Adagio and Fugue in G minor

Johann Sebastian Bach
‘Air’ from Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068

Gioacchino Rossini
String Sonata No. 3 in C major

Niccolò Paganini
Variations on a Theme from Gioachino Rossini's Moses in Egypt

Béla Bartók
Romanian Folk Dances Sz. 68, BB 76

David Popper
Hungarian Rhapsody, Op. 68

Evening Programme:

18:00    Welcome drink and the exhibition tour 
18:30    Stories from the Arts — 20th century in the Lobkowicz Collections, Veronika Červená, Assistant of Curator 
19:00    Concert in Imperial Hall
20:15    Meeting with soloists and orchestra over a glass of wine with refreshments prepared by the chef of the Lobkowicz Palace

The most famous ‘hit’ Jamal Aliyev has prepared for the evening is the ‘Air’ from Johann Sebastian Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3, which will be given a worthy introduction by František Xaver Richter. It was Richter, the now almost forgotten native of Moravia who worked, among other places, in Mannheim, and became an important link in the symphonic transition from the late Baroque era to Classicism and was considered one of the leading contrapuntist and composers of sacred music in his time. 

Opera of the early 19th century is closely linked to the work of Gioacchino Rossini. The melodicism of his comic operas also features in his instrumental works, as for example in the finale of the String Sonata No. 3, which Rossini composed at the age of twelve. Rossini, specifically his Mosè in Egito, inspired Niccolò Paganini in his virtuoso variations, sometimes called Mosè-fantasia.  

The concert will end with Romanian and Hungarian folk melodies. From the work of the famous Hungarian folklorist Béla Bartók, we will hear Transylvanian melodies from Romanian Folk Dances, and from the work of the composer and cellist David Popper, the Hungarian Rhapsody. Popper was born in Prague, where he also studied at the conservatoire in the mid-19th century, but later took Hungarian citizenship. Popper's compositions are not often performed today, and they are generally only known in cello circles.

Jamal Aliyev, named one of the top thirty young artists in the world in 2021 by the UK’s Classic FM, made his solo debut at the BBC Proms in 2017, the same year he won The Arts Club — Sir Karl Jenkins Music Award, which is given to the most talented young musicians working in Great Britain. He and his mentor, acclaimed pianist Fazil Say, recorded an album entitled Hayat Ağacı (Tree of Life) in 2022.

The Azerbaijani cellist has already been recognised by classical music lovers in Australia, the USA, across Europe and in Hong Kong and South America.

A graduate from the Yehudi Menuhin School, he has appeared in numerous concerts with conductor Karl Jenkins and the London Concert Orchestra, and regularly performs with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He is close to traditional Turkish music and enjoys playing Turkish folk instruments.