Program:
PARIS
Hector Berlioz: Les nuits d’été – L’île inconnue
Francis Poulenc: Hôtel
Henri Duparc: L’invitation au voyage
STRASBOURG
Gustav Mahler: Rheinlegendchen
MÜNCHEN
Richard Strauss: Ständchen
MILANO
Giuseppe Verdi: La zingara
Giuseppe Pietri: La stornellata di Cecco
Stanislao Gastaldon: Musica proibita
VENICE
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: Venetian Gondola Song
Johann Strauss: A Night in Venice – Schwipslied
*****
VIENNA
Rudolf Sieczyński: Wien, du Stadt meiner Träume
BRATISLAVA
Béla Bartók: Village Scenes – 4. Lullaby, 5. Legénytánc
BUDAPEST
Zoltán Kodály: A csitári hegyek alatt
Ernő Dohnányi: Ich will, ein junger Lenzhusar
Lajos Lajtai: Legyen a Horváth kertben, Budán
TRANSYLVANIA/BUKAREST
Zoltán Kodály: The Bad Wife
George Enescu: 7 Chansons de Clément Marot – 3. Aux damoyselles paresseuses d’écrire a leurs amys
ISTANBUL/ATHENS
Maurice Ravel: Shéhérazade – La Flûte enchantée
Fazil Say: Memleketim
Maurice Ravel: Cinq Mélodies populaires grecques – 1. Chanson de la mariée, 3. Quel galant m’est comparable, 5. Tout gai!
Featuring:
Polina Pasztircsák – vocal
Jan Philip Schulze – piano
The Orient Express luxury train, launched in 1883, was a cult symbol of the connection between Western and Eastern Europe, with its original route running from Paris via Vienna and Budapest all the way to Istanbul. Later, Budapest was connected to Athens, and a route passing through Milan and Venice was also established. Nowadays, the express train is only occasionally revived, but fortunately we can still get a taste of this great travel adventure: Polina Pastirchak's concert covers all the major stops on the different routes. The singer has selected songs from the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century – providing a delightful variety nurtured by the musical atmosphere of the cities and the rich colours of late Romantic and early 20th-century style.
Polina Pastirchak is a singer of Hungarian-Russian descent who studied with Júlia Bikfalvy and then at Mirella Freni's private school. In 2009, she won the first prize, the audience prize and the sponsor's prize at the Geneva International Music Competition, starting her international career overnight. Her repertoire is extremely wide: in addition to 19th-century Italian operas, she sings roles by Handel, Mozart, Wagner, and Richard Strauss, and also appears in oratorios and Mahler symphonies on the concert stage. She is especially fond of the intimate and direct expression of songs, and dedicates thematic recitals to them. Pianist Jan Philip Schulze tours Europe as a respected accompanist to Juliane Banse and Jonas Kaufmann, among others; he is well versed in German and French song literature, and readily immerses himself in 20th-century and contemporary music.
Photos of Polina Pastirchak by Giancarlo Pradelli