A story that transcends film music
Film music is often the first thing people associate with names such as Korngold or Glass. This evening
reveals how both composers reach far beyond cinema – into the realm of pure symphonic music.

Brno-born Erich Wolfgang Korngold became one of Hollywood’s most prominent film composers.
However, his Symphony in F-sharp major, written during his time in American exile, is the work of a
musical genius with deep European roots. Dramatic, passionate, and elegant – a masterful orchestral
work, in which emotional depth and refined instrumentation come together.

The Piano Concerto by Philip Glass, one of the foremost contemporary composers, was commissioned
by the Brno Philharmonic and draws on his original score for the film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
(1985) about the Japanese writer Yukio Mishima. Premiered in 2023, it transforms cinematic motifs into
an energetic fusion of musical minimalism and deep emotions.

programme

Philip Glass / arr. Michael Riesman:
Mishima Concerto for piano and orchestra

Erich Wolfgang Korngold:
Symphony in F-sharp major, Op. 40
I. Moderato, ma energico
II. Scherzo: Allegro molto – Trio
III. Adagio: Lento
IV. Finale: Allegro gaio

performers

Maki Namekawa – piano
Brno Philharmonic
Conductor Dennis Russell Davies

photogallery